‘Bonner (…) has written (…) an authoritative book on Roman education. (…) He writes lucidly and with a certain reticent humour; he has collected intriguing photographs of abacuses, ink-pots, and wax tablets; and he thoroughly deserves to attract the general reader he has half an eye to. But this remains a scholar’s book that scholars will value. The notes are exhaustive, and directed almost entirely to the primary texts; the bibliography is wide ranging. (…) The book has three parts. The first is historical, tracing the development of education from a private, family matter to such elaboration of public organisation as it reached under Trajan. The second, in some ways the most interesting and original, discusses the conditions of teaching (…). Finally, in Part Three, we are told in great detail what the Roman schoolboy learned, and how he learned it. So elaborate is this section that chapters 20 and 21 (for instance) form excellent introductions to the topics of rhetorical precept and declamation.’ (MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM in The Classical Review (New Series), 1979, pp.73-74).