This eccentric pilgrimage by Perrottet and his pregnant wife takes the couple in the footsteps of the ancient Romans, who -- way back when -- enjoyed too a tour of their empire from Rome to Naples to Sparta to Cairo culminating, naturally, with a cruise on the Nile. Has anything changed in the intervening millennia? Off the couple went to the Mediterranean to find out, our modern travelers, armed with a backpack, sense of humor, guide to Greece (written for the Romans by Pausanias in the 2nd century), and an ancient Roman map transcribed onto a 20-foot-roll. Perrottet's travelogue mixes up his modern adventures with ancient accounts and history.  (MED72, $13.95)