The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire [Paperback]

Edward Gibbon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2005

Gripping, powerfully intelligent, and wonderfully entertaining, Gibbon's classic account of Rome ranks as one of the literary masterpieces of its age. Attacked for its enlightened views on politics, sexuality, and religion, the first volume was nonetheless found on every table and received widespread acclaim for its elegant prose. Famously skeptical about Christianity, unexpectedly sympathetic to the barbarian invaders and the Byzantine Empire, constantly aware of how political leaders often achieve the exact opposite of what they intend, Gibbon captured both the broad pattern of events and the significant revealing detail. This abridged edition compresses thirteen turbulent centuries into a single epic narrative, and features a foreword, introduction, and extended appreciation by Hugh Trevor-Roper, an esteemed professor of history at Oxford University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Gibbon] stood on the summit of the Renaissance achievement and looked back over the waste of history to ancient Rome, as from one mountain top to another."--Christopher Dawson

"From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

EDWARD GIBBON was born in 1737. His brief career as an undergraduate at Magdalen College, Oxford, ended when he joined the Catholic Church, but he later re-joined the Protestant Church. After the death of his father, Gibbon settled in London and in 1774 was elected to Parliament where he sat for the next eight years. The first volume of his famous HISTORY was published in 1776; it was highly praised for its learning and style but incurred some censure for its treatment of the early Christians. The second and third volumes appeared in 1781 and the final three were published in 1788. HUGH TREVOR-ROPER was born in Northumberland in 1914 and educated at Charterhouse and Christ Church, Oxford. He was Regius Professor of Modern History and Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford 1957-80; Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge 1980-87. He became Lord Dacre of Glanton in 1979. Hugh Trevor-Roper died in 2003.

Product Details

• Paperback: 700 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix; Abridged edition (August 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753818817
• ISBN-13: 978-0753818817
• Product Dimensions: 2 x 5 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lot of work to read, but overall it's worth it, December 21, 2008

By 

Brian (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Paperback)

I feel like a jerk not rating this five stars, since it's such a world-renouned classic, a true heavyweight in the history of academia... but does it really deserve its lauded reputation? It is a very comprehensive tome (this version is one of the shorter versions available) on a very broad subject, and when this became available to the general public in the 1770's I'm sure they had never seen anything like it. Today, there's a lot more competition for our reading attention. If you want a very in-depth accounting of the history of the late Roman Empire, I'd still absolutely recommend this book, but point out that it can be dry in parts. To be fair, I'm sure it isn't easy to avoid sounding repetitious while accounting for each Roman Emperor's fate since the Republic fell... they begin to sound alike (this one killed that one, etc). I read this in anticipation of moving to Italy, and I'm glad I did. There are so many ruins and archaeological sites here, and I now at least have a passing familiarity with more aspects of Roman history. If you are going to Italy, and you want to make the most of the trip, I would say read it. This is one of those books I believe will pay to read again in a few years, when I have accumulated more knowledge on the topic from other sources.
One last item: there are many versions of this book available, and I can't comment on all of them, but this particular edition would be greatly enhanced if more maps were included.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing work, March 27, 2007

By 

L. M. Dunn "On my path" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Paperback)

I gave this book 5 stars because of the incredible content. The book is well written and fairly easy to read, though it is very long. I can't imagine reading the entire volume set written by Gibbons. The only problem I have with this book is that the author does drone on a bit.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars will suck you into it's pages, September 14, 2010

By 

Edward A. Nord "coffeeman" (Moline, Il) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Paperback)

I had a hard time getting used to the style of writing but, in spite of that, I had a hard time putting it down. I found it compelling, complete, and well informed, considering the date of publication. I recommend this book to any interested student of history or any who just like a good read. It covers any subject that is even remotely connected to the last centuries of the Roman empire. It left me with the desire to read the complete 6 volume work.