Customer Reviews

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Ok, So there is about 70 versions of this book on the market. If you're reading this, maybe I can help you.

I had read many positive things about Edward Gibbons book. Some of it true, some of it not. I was expecting something better, though that is partially my fault. First off, this book was written in the 1770s. Therefore, it is not an entertaining type of history book that we expect today. This disappointment was my fault, I should have taken this into account.

I have a few real gripes about this book. The first being that Gibbon tends to drift into the minutae of inconsequential facts. For instance, he devotes about twenty pages to the founding, building, and construction of St. Sophia's church in Constantinople. Interesting, yes, but it has very little to do with the subject at hand. Gibbon drifts onto these tangents ad nauseaum. The version I have is a little over 800 pages. The real story could have been told in about 300.

The second gripe I have, is that Gibbon tends to write in run-on sentences. Sometimes whole paragraphs are just one sentence, with about eight comas in the midst. Leaving one reading and re-reading the same sentence just to make sense of the subject.

Gibbon often writes about subjects, people, places, events, groups, races, etc. without explaining where, what or who they are. I can only suggest that if you are going to read this book, keep Wikipedia handy.

Finally, there is little or no timeline with the subject matter. It is very hard to follow since Gibbon gives almost no time frame when presenting a story or situation. I found myself often wondering when abouts we were dealing with. I can say that I get upset with authors who devote too much attention to such things, but when dealing with a time frame of 1500 years, it would be helpful to give a reference.

I DID give this book 2 stars, because I felt someone CAN gain something from it. Just know, that for the amateur, or beginner of Roman history, I would not recommend this book.

This book goes into minute detail of the personal characteristics of various (Roman) leaders but (to me) is not a history of the rise and fall--- other author do a better job.

I bought this book because I have seen it on several must read lists and lists of most important books. I love to learn in a fun, enjoyable way. This book is heavier and thicker and more difficult to read than some college textbooks. I made it to page 4 before I gave up. It is hard to believe someone would read this book for pleasure.

I guess I made a quick purchase b/ what I really wanted was a story of the climb of the roman empire but I haven't read it yet, so this book still might be interesting.