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How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History) (Paperback)

by Thomas Cahill (Author) "On the last, cold day of December in the dying year we count as 406, the river Rhine froze solid, providing the natural bridge that..." (more)
Key Phrases: Middle Ages, Mac Roth, Book of Kells (more...)

3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (270 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars," the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the West's written treasury. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture.

From Publishers Weekly
An account of the pivotal role played by Irish monks in transcribing and preserving Classical civilization during the Dark Ages.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Anchor; Anchor Books ed edition (February 1, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385418493
ISBN-13: 978-0385418492
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (270 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#1 in Books > History > Europe > Ireland > Medieval
#9 in Books > History > Ancient > Early Civilization
#23 in Books > History > Historical Study > Social History

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
On the last, cold day of December in the dying year we count as 406, the river Rhine froze solid, providing the natural bridge that hundreds of thousands of hungry men, women, and children had been waiting for. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Middle Ages, Mac Roth, Book of Kells, Saint Gall, North America, John Scotus, Eternal City, Boyne Valley, Dying Gaul, Tuatha De Danaan, Iron Age, Irish Christian, The Gauls, Art O'Leary, Dark Eileen, Clan Conaill, Penal Laws, Pangur Ban, Roman Africa, Mark Antony

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 45 books:

The Book of Kells (Trinity College Dublin) by Trinity College Library Dublin on page 168, page 211, and Back Matter
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 3 by Edward Gibbon on page 13, and Back Matter
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 1 by Edward Gibbon on page 13, and Back Matter
Decline And Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon on page 13, and Back Matter
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 1 by Edward Gibbon on page 13, and Back Matter

See all 45 books this book cites

100 books cite this book:

The Spirituality of Celtic Saints by Richard J. Woods on 6 pages
The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West...Again by George G. Hunter III on 5 pages
Travelers' Tales Italy: True Stories by Anne Calcagno on page 327, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Praying the Bible: The Pathway to Spirituality by Wesley Campbell on page 99, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Our Sunday Visitor's Treasury of Catholic Stories by Gerald M. Costello on page 126, page 288, and Back Matter

See all 100 books citing this book

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	91% buy the item featured on this page: How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History) 3.2 out of 5 stars (270) $10.17
	3% buy The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels (Hinges of History) 3.4 out of 5 stars (144) $10.88
	3% buy How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It 4.1 out of 5 stars (88) $10.17
	2% buy Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (Hinges of History) 3.5 out of 5 stars (73) $10.88

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Customer Reviews

270 Reviews

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(65)
3 star:		(36)
2 star:		(27)
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Average Customer Review

3.2 out of 5 stars (270 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

155 of 169 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WORST METHODS AND FALSE., June 1, 2006

By	???????????? (Queens, N.Y.) - See all my reviews

I have been reading the history of this period for over forty years. This is the worst bunk I have ever read. Here are my reasons. 1, He fails to cite his sources. 2,He fails to prove his thesis. 3,He contradicts the very title by stating that books never vanished from Italy, Greece, and the most Romanized parts of the western Roman world. 4,He pads the book with a ton of extraneous info that has nothing to do with the topics. 5,He inexplicably bashes other groups for no reason. Lastly, the so-called style is a disorganized, and incoherent rambling. I suggest that before anyone wastes their money. They read all of the reviews of this book wih a fine tooth comb and an open mind.

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215 of 237 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shameful, and I'm Irish!, March 15, 2006

By	I'm Irish - See all my reviews

Goethe: "Choose well, your choice is brief, and yet endless." This propaganda was endlessly FALSE!!!!! As a history buff I have to take issue with the positive reviews of this Fluff. The most recent rev. by Mr. J. Egolf was largely wrong. First, Ireland did not have 8 million people untill 1840. The climate changes in 535 led to the island losing half its population to famine. The Irish did not precede the Benedictines or most other orders of monks! The Benedictines grew in part out of the earlier orders founded by "Origen in the second century." As the astute rev's have poignantly mentioned THE IRISH GOT THERE BOOKS FROM THE HIGHLY ORGANIZED BENEDICTINES AFTER THE YEAR 500 and from others before that. Despite, Monte Cassino being sacked in 580 and 846 the Benedictines did not lose any books since they hid them in caves were the Lombards and Arabs could not get to. Mr. Cahill even mentioned that the Irish monks were very de-centralized and often at odds with all authority and each other. That removes most of the authors claims in their BIAS TOTALITY. I found the authors remarks about non-Irish very offensive. Why do we Irish have to mock others to build ourselves up? Pieter Balsetiers "Saint Benedict, The Father Of Western Civilization" is a far more in depth and FAIR WORK OF SCHOLARSHIP. He gives the Italians, Jews, Arabs, Armenians, and Greeks the credit they DESERVE! I am returning this book.

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80 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a nightmare!, April 24, 1998

By A Customer

Thomas Cahill's book is a feeble (and cheap) attempt to whip up Irish-American patriotism. In fact, a catchy title and an attractive cover are about the only things this book has "going for it." Cahill is completely misguided and presents his arguments with a chaotic incoherence. He is also misinformed. For ex., he states that the art of the medieval period was filled with smiling and playful demons, as it was meant to be perceived as "light" by the audience. It is common knowledge that medieval art, religious art, was on the apocalyptic end of the church propaganda spectrum. His tone is always condescending, as if he were speaking to a group of children who could never possibly comprehend the sophisticated arguments he's making. He attempts to elevate the Irish to the status of the saviors of civilization, but does so by mocking other groups, such as the Mormons (whom he calls uneducated). His style makes the topic itself less interesting. It is not scholarly or even acceptable for main-stream readers. I would love to read a book which deals with the same subject written by someone else, as the topic itself, divorced from Cahill's inaptitude, is fascinating and definitely overlooked by true scholars, since it deals with a transitional period. Probably THE worst book I have ever read.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good survey of the post-Roman world
The greatest impact on me that this book had was really to describe the immensity of the collapse of the (western) Roman world. Read more

Published 4 days ago by G. Moore

2.0 out of 5 stars Short and lacks Focus
For a product who's title makes a claim for the product, this book did little to back the claim. Mostly I saw it as a biased catholic and Irish catholic survey of a brief period... Read more

Published 10 days ago by J. Edgar Mihelic

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book
Cahill has written a wonderful book. It is both informative and exciting at the same time. His description of the fall of Rome echoes today. Read more

Published 14 days ago by Eleanor

2.0 out of 5 stars Could have been better
I have heard from several colleagues that Cahill's book was a triumph of historical research and argument. Read more

Published 19 days ago by An Historian

1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely inaccurate history
I had heard many good things about this book, so I decided to give it a try. I had read Cahill's Sailing the Wine Dark Sea, and was not overly impressed, but expected this book... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Jesse Rouse

3.0 out of 5 stars For Those Who Value Literature and The Written Word
If you value literature and the written word, then Cahill's work is just for you. He starts his narrative describing the state of literature during the last days of the Western... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Mr. Robert C. Bonds

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting historical read
I read this book for my book club, so it is a selection that I would not have normally made on my own. It took a a little work, to delve into, and catch the mood. Read more

Published 3 months ago by JoniReadGood

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read If You Enjoy Reading History and Celtic Culture!
Even if your not Irish, you just may find many gold nuggets of information about this amazing book on Christianity, culture and history! Well worth the read!

Published 4 months ago by Mark E. O'Neill

4.0 out of 5 stars A Mixed Blessing
This weekend I finally got around to reading How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill. This book, originally published in 1995, is the first in a series by Cahill called... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Sharvul

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging story and a decent argument
Cahill tells an engaging story and makes a good case for his thesis that the Irish played a crucial roll in saving western culture, literacy and civilization after the fall of the... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Knud A. Hermansen

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