- Audio Cassette
- Publisher: Recorded Books; Unabridged edition (August 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 078873105X
- ISBN-13: 978-0788731051
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
The Byzantine Empire, one of its most eminent students reminds us, lasted "for a total of 1,123 years and 18 days," which is an astonishing duration matched by only a few others. Condensing Norwich's three-volume history, this overview captures the splendor and strangeness of Byzantine rule, marked by family intrigues, constant warfare, political and religious strife, and personal ambition--a "somewhat lurid background," as Norwich modestly declares in passing. Norwich is a master of the telling vignette. In one, he writes of imperial guards made up of "Anglo-Saxons who had left their country in disgust after Hastings and had taken service with Byzantium." Facing a Norman enemy in southern Italy, these Anglo-Saxons exacted terrible vengeance until the Normans rallied under the leadership of a fearless woman, one Sichelgaita, and massacred their enemy. Norwich's book abounds in similarly surprising and absorbing episodes.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
YA?A condensation of Norwich's three-volume study of the Byzantine Empire. It is the story of a civilization that flourished economically, militarily, and, most importantly, as a center for culture and the arts while the rest of Europe struggled through the Dark and Middle Ages. Despite the empire being the most powerful nation in Europe for over 1000 years, its history reads like a soap opera?with grand intrigue, despotic rulers, madmen, conquests, betrayals, religious schism, crusades, and eventual decline. The book is massive in scope and although every other ruler seems to be named either Constantine, Constantius, or Constans, the book is surprisingly easy to read. Detailed maps; charts showing the lineage of the major personalities; and lists of emperors, sultans, and popes help readers keep track of who was who and where the major events took place. An extensive index makes this book useful as a reference tool.?Robert Burnham, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
MOST HUMAN OF EMPIRES,
This review is from: A Short History of Byzantium (Hardcover)
Living, quite literally, only a few miles from the Alamo, reading about the Siege of Constantinople was particularly poignant. What an Empire. It's name, Byzantine, has become a description for all that is seethingly, insidously, complicated. Byzantium represented the best and worst of being human: incredible art, touching piety, hypocrisy unparallelled, heroism unmatched, murderous Emperors, jaw dropping architecture, and political intrigue. All leading up to that day in May when it all fell forever. Lord Norwich brings it all back. Will have to get the three volumes now!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bravo...Byzantium,
By D C (SF, Ca) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Short History of Byzantium (Hardcover)
Accolades to Lord Norwich for his interesting account of the "Eastern Empire". The author does a fantastic job of blending strong historical research with interesting snippets of Byzantine folk lore. This is a must read for anyone who cherishes history and good writing.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Gibbon of Constantinople,
By jwalzer (Greenville, Delaware United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Short History of Byzantium (Hardcover)
Norwich's "Short History of Byzantium" is a distillation of his three-volume history of the Byzantine Empire. I've read the larger work, and can say that this abbreviated volume captures, for the most part, the essence of Norwich's trilogy: the color, adventure, and insight are all here, along with a tremendous sense of style, leavened with wit. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the empire that emerged from the eastern half of the old Roman Empire, centered at Constantinople, this is the perfect introductory volume. Best of all, the author, like Gibbon, is a wonderful story-teller: a faithful adherence to a fabulous tale of power and empire, punctuated by the most unlikely incidents, narrated in a skilled and, where warranted, jaundiced style -- what more could one ask? Reading the history of this thousand-year-old empire - an empire that produced unparalleled works of artistic beauty - an empire that protected Western Christendom from the impending Turkish onslaught for centuries - wincing as it's flaws overtook it and, stabbed in the back by the West in 1204, left it prostrate - this is the stuff of tragedy. No writer of fiction could ever have created the drama of the Byzantine Empire. I highly recommend this volume, as both history, and literature; and if it whets your appetite, Norwich's three-volume version awaits you: enjoy!
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