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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 1-3: Volumes 1, 2, 3 [Hardcover]

Edward Gibbon
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Oct 26 1993 Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of the Bury Text, in a boxed set. Introduction by Hugh Trevor-Roper

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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 1-3: Volumes 1, 2, 3 + The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 4-6: Volumes 4, 5, and 6 + The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso (in one volume)
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From the Back Cover

"Edward Gibbon, in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, has always been my cynosure...Gibbon's mind was surely the most powerful and most lucid one that has appeared so far in the whole distinguished company of Western historians...Gibbon [produced] a masterpiece of historical research, construction, and writing which had no superior in its own genre in any literature." --Arnold Toynbee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

The Modern Library has played a significant role in American cultural life for the better part of a century. The series was founded in 1917 by the publishers Boni and Liveright and eight years later acquired by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer. It provided the foundation for their next publishing venture, Random House. The Modern Library has been a staple of the American book trade, providing readers with affordable hardbound editions of important works of literature and thought. For the Modern Library's seventy-fifth anniversary, Random House redesigned the series, restoring as its emblem the running torch-bearer created by Lucian Bernhard in 1925 and refurbishing jackets, bindings, and type, as well as inaugurating a new program of selecting titles. The Modern Library continues to provide the world's best books, at the best prices.

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Is Gibbon still worth reading? Oct 24 2009
Format:Hardcover
Most might think that an 18th Century historian would have long passed his due date, but Gibbon would prove them wrong. This edition comes with a fine introduction (Trevor-Roper) and is annotated where Gibbon may have erred, but his scholarship is usually impeccable. His fluid eloquence, depth of study, the fascinating nature of the topic, and the good price for a relatively well bound edition (printed and bound in Germany) make this purchase a very wise one. It may look good on the shelf but it stimulates even more in the reading.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The quite voluminous "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" is one of the most important books of all times, and is of special interest to the reader who wants to go the extra mile in search of the reasons why the Empire collapsed after almost 1.000 years of existence. Is also a good reminder to everyone of us that, no matter what, all things pass and one world leader is followed by another in a sequence of falling cards. The book, first publishe in 1776, the same year that the "Wealth of the Nations" was published, and the same year the United States declared its independency, is one of the first serious attempts to relate history in a context of sequenced facts where social, political and cultural movements were much more important than the play of personalities. Edward Gibbon lived in Geneva many years and was familiar with the most important intelectual developments of the age, being acquainted with Voltaire and his ideas, reading and writting in many languages but mainly in French. The bibliography he consulted is extensive and, even some 15 centuries after the facts he reports, his is one of the most comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the reasons behind the fall of Rome.

To begin with, he does not list how it all began, that is, it is not his purpose to narrate how the Empire was built. He begins with the Empire as a "fait accompli", with a narrative in the rule of Julius Cesar , the philosopher ruler, and analises with endless detail all the rationale of lack of in each and every ruler's mind, the background of his ascent and the reasons behind the fall of each one of them. The vast majority of Rome's ruler was killed by people who was akin or intimate to the ruler or by members of the Praetorian guard. Also, all the meanings of the empire's hierarchy is explained with a lot of detail, what was the function of a Caesar, what meant to be a senator at the time of Rome apogee, of consulship, etc... Each one of the 3 books, totalling some 2.000 pages, has a very interesting map of Europe, Africa and Asia at the time. A lot of factual information is there to astound the reader with the polyhistoric knowledge of the author. His privileged mind does not permit him to understand that not all the readers speak the languages he does and the text is full of footnotes quotations in Latin and ancient Greek, with no translation whatsoever.

The portrait of the barbarians kings and people is superb and the reader has the opportunity of a face to face contact with Allaric, the king of the Goths, and with Atilla, the king of the Huns. Sure, this trilogy is only focused in the so-called West Empire and its sequel is totally devoted to the East empire, but that is another story.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Stands with the Greatest Literature of All-Time Sep 27 2000
Format:Hardcover
Obviously, if you're already here at this page considering Gibbon's great history, the greatest work of its kind in world literature, then you probably know quite a bit about it. What you're wondering is: Is it really worth reading? Will I enjoy reading it? Will it be worth the time I spend reading it? Will I learn anything vital for living my life? Damn good questions! The classics are tough to review, since there are thousands of reviews in all sorts of books and venues, and Gibbon's "Decline and Fall" has received its share of coverage. So here's what you need to know, in my opinion. First, Gibbon is a chore to read. The heavily stylized writing, each sentence constructed like a lovely portico in a magnificent Roman temple, is daunting, even for people who read classics all the time. But give yourself about two weeks of steady reading, and it will begin to click for you, and then you'll really start to love the style if you have any taste or discernment at all. Those elegantly multifarious sentences and paragraphs will begin to read like graceful passages of poetry in an expansive Homeric epic. Second, Gibbon has a mountain of interesting things to say, once you get accustomed to his periodic style. The best way to read this stuff is to read it like a collection of short stories or essays. Don't plunk yourself down one lonely night brave intending to read this overwhelmingly massive tome from start to finish in 6 months or a year. Your ship of Good Hope will soon founder on the rocks of the "Decline's" sheer volume and the unrelenting, exhausting high seriousness of Gibbon. Pick one emperor's story, a section, a few paragraphs even, and just enjoy that one passage, as though you were gazing on a little stained-glass window in some dim corner of a giant cathedral. Later, to get a first taste of the full depth and breadth of Gibbon's approach, take up the deservedly famous chapters on the origins of Christianity, Chapters 15 and 16 in Volume I. That will give you the feel for the mighty swell of his thought and the powerful turn of his ideas. Third, the break-up of the empire is just one of those topics it pays, in many ways and throughout your life of thought and inquiry, to know well. And Gibbon is the best guide, by far, because he has a knack for plot. As scholarly as his work is, Gibbon tells a mean story. It helps a great deal to have a neat summary of Roman imperial history at hand, perhaps one of those excellent books on Rome by Michael Grant, or the Encyclopedia Britannica articles on the Roman Empire, to get the overview you need to keep the narrative straight, so you can concentrate on Gibbon's lofty evaluation of the action and the social and political movements that sway it first one way and then another. So, you see, once you get the style down and you start to enjoy Gibbon's voice and his approach to concepts and argument, then you will really start to profit from knowing this history and Gibbon's presentation of it. It will greatly increase the depth of your understanding of politics, power, social movements, law, religion, ambition, evil, cruelty, human folly, and more. It is one of our greatest treatises, in my view, on human "sin" and misery, leavened with just a pinch, a sadly slight pinch, of sweet human loving-kindness. After all, the Roman Empire was the greatest experiment in the history of humankind in putting an end to our collective misery, with the creation and enforcement of the Pax Romana, the worldwide peace Rome sought to impose on its world for the supposed good of all who fell under her sway. O, the arrogance! Seeing how this great mission half succeeded for a time and then failed is highly instructive. Gibbon really makes you appreciate what the founders of the American Republic achieved, and the great thinkers and doers of American history knew all this stuff backwards. For them and their world, this history was one colossal cautionary tale comprising dozens of lesser cautionary tales. Surely, you can tell by now that I am urging you to read as much of the "Decline and Fall" as you can. It is great history, great writing, great story. It is one of our greatest pieces of literature, in that lofty league with Shakespeare and Dante and Milton and Goethe. It might be a smidgen greater even than their masterpieces, in my eyes. Gibbon's work is at the summit of what you must know to be a civilized and well-educated human being, to know deeply what it means to strive for a good world. But don't be hard on yourself if it takes a long time to get going and to start enjoying Gibbon. You're not alone in that. But the pay-off will almost surely be very satisfying. Please see my interpretation of the star ratings and my other current recommendations at my amazon site.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Peerless history
Edward Gibbon's masterpiece is not only the finest work of history in the English language, it is also one of its greatest narratives. Read more
Published on Feb 13 2004 by Publius
4.0 out of 5 stars Toting books
This is an extremely resourceful book. If someone needs a brief overview of the Roman times, this could be it. Read more
Published on Oct 23 2003 by Discipled
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Its really impossle that there have lived men that know so much, and have brought together so many facts, numbers, stories and sources that they can write a book like this. Read more
Published on Jun 24 2003 by D. Schotman
4.0 out of 5 stars Better an abridged version
I have read it in the abridged version Dero A. Saunders did in the fifties, I think. This is like a novel about the Roman Empire, but it cannot be said that is not History. Read more
Published on Jan 18 2003 by Papagena
5.0 out of 5 stars Beware
Before you decide to embark on this journey you should be aware of a few things. First, this work is a narrative history, devoid of any real analysis. Read more
Published on Jun 28 2002 by Glenn McDorman
5.0 out of 5 stars The Decline and Fall proffers an increase in understanding
Edward Gibbon has set the stage on which hundreds of other successful writers show history, and on which thousands of teachers tell history. Read more
Published on Mar 2 2002 by Book Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars Standard reading
Gibbon's Decline - whilst ancient history scholars of today will recognise the challenges in the theories which are, understandably, outdated with current knowledge of the subject... Read more
Published on Feb 14 2002 by ilmk
5.0 out of 5 stars The Authoritative Work on the Roman Empire
I purchased all six volumes of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. This work is written in the beautiful and fluid 18th century English. Read more
Published on Feb 8 2002 by Mathew A Wickett
5.0 out of 5 stars Gibbon's Masterpiece in a Readable Edition
These three volumes constitute the first half of Edward Gibbon's masterpiece. Many would-be readers will find reading Gibbon to be somewhat daunting, but his wit, scholarship, and... Read more
Published on Jan 15 2002 by Tom Moran
3.0 out of 5 stars Good Details
This master work is very rich in detail and, as such, makes a great referrence guide. However, Gibbon's prejudice against Byzantium and the bad press he gave it deter young people... Read more
Published on Aug 24 2001 by Matt Dedinas
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