Civilisation: A Personal View [Paperback]

Kenneth Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1990

Kenneth's Clark major work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 359 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060907878
• ISBN-13: 978-0060907877
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure of a book, March 28, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Civilisation [Civilization] (Hardcover)

If I had to chose 5 books for eternity, this would be one. I first read it as a recent college grad when it was published in the early '70's. It helped estabish my view of western civilization and art. I have scoured used book stores for copies to give to others and I am pleased it is again available. I treasure this volume and would be lost without it.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Made me wish it were a longer book, October 10, 2001

By 

Daryl Broussard "fizz97" (the Texas Gulf coast) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Civilisation: A Personal View (Paperback)

Starting with chapter 1, "The Skin of Our Teeth" (covering ground more recently trod by Thomas Cahill's HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION), and culminating with chapter 13's "Heroic Materialism", Clark produces a joyful, sometimes wary look at the painting, architecture, sculpture, philosophy, music, science, and even engineering that have contributed to the evolution of Western Civilization.

Clark's writing most definitely does not fall into the dry, verbally bloated academic style (which never fails to give me the heebie-jeebies), but instead, his words issue a warmth, an inviting, conversational tone, and his thoughts are timeless, which is fortunate, as CIVILISATION is just over 30 years old.

Worthwhile? Yep.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of western art, June 20, 2000

By 

Tom Gillis (Kensington, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Civilisation [Civilization] (Hardcover)

This is not really an overview of western Civilization, but, rather, a history of western art and architecture for the past 1500 years (furthermore, the first 1/2 millenium is handled in the first of 13 chapters, and the last 100 years really aren't discussed -- so the book really covers primarily the high middle ages to the late 19th century in Europe). The text is a transcript of the successful television series (which I never saw): I suspect that the book suffers (relative to the TV series) due to the lack of music. On a broad level, what the author's survey of "civilization" is most lacking is any attempt at explaining causation: why was great art found first here (e.g., Italy), then there (e.g., Netherlands and North Germany). More attention to economic (and military) matters would have made this a much stronger history book. As it is, it is an extremely enjoyable (great illustrations!) and thought-provoking cultural history survey. [I read the folio Society 1999 hardcover edition.]