Books
Kids
Popular
Authors & Events
Recommendations
Audio
Oct 23, 2000 | ISBN 9780679641483 Buy
Buy from Other Retailers:
Oct 23, 2000 | ISBN 9780679641483
"I set out upon Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire [and] was immediately dominated by both the story and the style," recalled Winston Churchill. "I devoured Gibbon. I rode triumphantly through it from end to end and enjoyed it all….I was not even estranged by his naughty footnotes." In the two centuries since its completion, Gibbon’s magnum opus–which encompasses some thirteen hundred years as it swings across Europe, North Africa, and Asia–has refused to go the way of many "classics" and grow musty on the shelves. "Gibbon is a landmark and a signpost–a landmark of human achievement: and a signpost because the social convulsions of the Roman Empire as described by him sometimes prefigure and indicate convulsions which shake the whole world today," wrote E.M. Forster. Never far below the surface of the magnificent narrative lies the author’s wit and sweeping irony, exemplified by Gibbon’s famous definition of history as "little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind." The third volume contains chapters forty-nine through seventy-one of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794), born into a prosperous family, was by turns historian, member of the House of Commons, and member of Dr. Johnson’s Club. He is considered the greatest English Enlightenment historian on the basis of his masterpiece, The Decline and… More about Edward Gibbon
Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network
Stay in Touch
By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Start earning points for buying books! Just for joining you’ll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members.
