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The Lessons of History Paperback – February 16, 2010

by Will Durant (Author), Ariel Durant (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,322 ratings
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A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant.

With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.
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  1. Print length
    128 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  4. Publication date
    February 16, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    0.79 x 5 x 7.76 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    143914995X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1439149959
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
5,322 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book insightful and interesting. They describe it as an easy, worthwhile read with clear writing and concise chapters. The book is praised for its accuracy and thorough analysis based on their volumes of history. Readers praise the authors' eloquent writing style and prescience.

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InsightReadabilityWriting qualityBook lengthAccuracyAuthor
249 customers mention "Insight"225 positive24 negative

Customers find the book insightful and enjoyable. They appreciate how it ties together different aspects of history with a well-crafted analysis. The book provides interesting insights into a wide range of topics and is thought-provoking.

"...The author(s) found a way to present complex and interesting ideas and observations about history and the world and humanity in ways that I seldom..." Read more

"This is quite the book! Thought provoking and a quick read...." Read more

"...These were refreshing and useful when included. Overall, it's well worth the read and a refreshing "grand narrative" of history...." Read more

"...Revealing, humorous, challenging, and rewarding.... Lessons of History is such....coupled with Bertrand Russell's The Conquest of Happiness......." Read more

204 customers mention "Readability"191 positive13 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and well-received. They appreciate the audio format that complements the reading with insightful interview snippets. The book is considered one of the best written by an influential historian of the 20th century. It's a good choice for college juniors' philosophy or Western studies courses. Readers appreciate the thoughtful series of essays on the lessons of history.

"...book, though presents complex ideas, is perfectly succinct and well worth the time it takes to finish...." Read more

"This is quite the book! Thought provoking and a quick read...." Read more

"...Overall, it's well worth the read and a refreshing "grand narrative" of history...." Read more

"...Durant deals, in this very readable book, with real history and various aspects of life that are revealed thru history...." Read more

142 customers mention "Writing quality"122 positive20 negative

Customers find the book's writing quality good. They say it's a well-written study of how we got to where we are today, written clearly in concise chapters. The book is an easy read with no wasted words, and the author's self-effacing style makes it relatable. The brevity of the book allows readers to keep the big picture presented in mind throughout.

"...The book, though presents complex ideas, is perfectly succinct and well worth the time it takes to finish...." Read more

"This is quite the book! Thought provoking and a quick read...." Read more

"...Very readable prose, engaging, humorous and playful in it's dealings with human activity..." Read more

"...It's a wonderfully written study of how we got to where we are today." Read more

48 customers mention "Book length"40 positive8 negative

Customers appreciate the book's brevity. They find it an easy read with insightful content and a lot of concepts packed into 100 pages. The short chapters encourage reflection.

"...of different thought provoking ideas and concepts and it packs a lot into a small book...." Read more

"...In short and concise chapters, they range across considerations of geography, biology, 'race', character, morals, religion, economics, socialism,..." Read more

"...insights from the past and the cyclical nature of mankind; compressed into just 100 pages!" Read more

"...The book's brevity means any reader can keep the big picture presented in mind all through LESSONS of history." Read more

20 customers mention "Accuracy"16 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the book's accuracy and thoroughness. They find it a comprehensive, well-thought-out overview of history that provides a rich yet concise examination into a wide range of topics. The author does a good job of describing constants in the life of man. Overall, readers describe the book as concise yet thorough, providing a high-level survey of themes from an expert perspective.

"A very comprehensive and wise take on the themes of history from expert historians...." Read more

"...This provides a very rich but succinct examination into a very wide scope of topics and the points that are highlighted could easily be fleshed out..." Read more

"...hundred pages, this is a wonderfully succinct, yet thorough examination of the big questions of the human experience and what historic examination..." Read more

"...have some merit, despite their utter superficiality and overly general nature...." Read more

11 customers mention "Author"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's writing style and provide food for thought. They find the book great and a must-read. The authors' farsightedness and topic selection are also praised.

"...reflections, topic selection, and the associations the authors give- in a majestic way...." Read more

"...I have to say that the author expresses himself perfectly at the book is very entertaining...." Read more

"...It is simply amazing how farsighted the authors were...." Read more

"Interesting book by authors that I respect and admire. Book was written in 1968 and though I found it valuable, it is unfortunately dated...." Read more

I like this book, but…just curious.. why?
5 out of 5 stars
I like this book, but…just curious.. why?
Great book!But…On the cover of book, there’s a word histoty.. How is this even possible? I see that everyone else has the right spelling on their books.Anyone with the same misspelling?
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Anastasia K
    5.0 out of 5 stars Written in prose that's music to my ears somehow
    Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is one of the most unexpectedly beautifully written books I've read in years, though I may be biased. The author(s) found a way to present complex and interesting ideas and observations about history and the world and humanity in ways that I seldom see English language presented in. I would say that one must have a minimum decent background knowledge of world histroy in order to enjoy the book, because the content is rather a by-chapter summary of collections of historical events and their implications, rather than actually telling you any deep details of the historical events. For example, they mention lots of names of ancient civilizations and makes certain arguements about them, without any context, so if you're not well versed in general history you might need to research outside the book (which like, who would bother to do that?). I didn't find that to detract much from the book, but mention this as a word of caution. Each chapter actually made me stop every time it ended (the chapters are short, which is prefect for my short attention span lol) and reflect upon what I just read. The book, though presents complex ideas, is perfectly succinct and well worth the time it takes to finish. If you like history, know a good bit about it, and want to read something that gives you a few new neurons in the brain without a huge time commitment, go for it :)
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Kathi G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read and Reflect
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is quite the book! Thought provoking and a quick read. Each chapter would present a history teacher with ideas for students to research and comment upon. History often repeats but it doesn’t have to, does it?
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  • JT
    4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A very comprehensive and wise take on the themes of history from expert historians.

    It reads like a short lecture series from adjunct professors. It's not intended to be a comprehensive historical analysis of events but rather to stream historical anecdotes to reinforce a broad message from each chapter.

    It felt verbose at times, though you would have difficulty finding any work on history that isn't. Some chapters were flowery with prose and might have instead included a bit more historical hyperlinks or anecdotes. These were refreshing and useful when included.

    Overall, it's well worth the read and a refreshing "grand narrative" of history. It complements the many historical nonfiction works that focus on a narrow domain.
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  • Carl Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read it because
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Among the better historians the world has known (Medal of Freedom and Pulitzer honoree)..Durant is a passion that need not be left to old age to enjoy. First course in Western Civilization at USC introduced Durant to those of us that attended there (and other ).
    Durant deals, in this very readable book, with real history and various aspects of life that are revealed thru history.
    Among those are Morals, History, Biology, Race, Character, Religion, Economics, Socialism, Government, War, Growth and Decay, Progress (is it real?)
    Concepts and Ideas based on the historical background surrounding almost all key elements that Durant and his wife Ariel researched and wrote mssive tomes surrounding (The Story of Civilization - 10 volumes & perhaps 11,000 pages!!...Beginning in volume I (almost a summary of what is to come for 9 more)) will engage and open our world from before a time when mankind was still just off the savannas and wondering what was over the next hill, mountain, river and ocean.
    Very readable prose, engaging, humorous and playful in it's dealings with human activity (Volume I sneaks up in so many ways...as in when we encounter the statement "When the Gods became useful they became numerous"
    Having gifted or loaned the first of Durant's Story of Civilization it soon became apparent that there is a deep yearning for this depth of inquiry and explanation...Since have given this little book (Lessons of History) to many....old and young. Revealing, humorous, challenging, and rewarding....
    Lessons of History is such....coupled with Bertrand Russell's The Conquest of Happiness....are Human Nature revealed ... jcmb
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Diego Ramos
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gran lectura.
    Reviewed in Mexico on June 14, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Gran lectura con temas aún de actualidad. Geniales los autores.
    Report
  • Ricardo Ghneim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Arrivé en bon état
    Reviewed in Belgium on January 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Le livre est arrivé à l'heure sans aucun défaut
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  • RENATO MONTEIRO OLINO
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom
    Reviewed in Brazil on November 20, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Livro curto, direto e poderoso. Recomendo com certeza.
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  • Sammler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ein MUSS
    Reviewed in Germany on January 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Ich wundere mich, dass ich so alt werden musste, bevor mir endlich jemand dieses "MUSS" empfohlen hat. Ich lese von Kindesbeinen an viel über Geschichte, und man muss normalerweise sehr viel lesen, um ein wenig zu verstehen. Die Gedankenfülle dieses Buches - auf so wenig Raum gestreckt -, und die Klarheit der Gedankenführung, veranlaßt mich zu behaupten, dass jeder dieses Buch in Betracht ziehen sollte, der sein Wahlrecht gerne verantwortungsvoll ausüben will und die Idee hat, dass es möglich ist, aus der Geschichte zu lernen.
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  • Ashok Krishna
    5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely introduction into various facets of human history. A book that no history-buff should miss!
    Reviewed in India on October 19, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    ‘<b>History repeats itself</b>’, ‘<b>Those who don’t learn from history are forced to repeat it</b>’ – these are two of the quips about which I had been curious for so long. Is it possible that we humans are living a cycle all through our lives? Are we repeating the same things, events and experiences that our ancestors once went through? Are we humans, so-called most intelligent species of this planet, so inept at learning from our past that we go through the same pains and pleasures, events and experiences that keep staring at our face from the annals?

    I was seeking answers to these questions and when Amazon ‘recommended’ this book to me, I gladly accepted. Will and Ariel Durant, the author couple, are renowned for their contribution to the field of History and ‘The Story of Civilization’, a series of eleven volumes in Western history, is their magnum opus. And, when they offer to summarize all their learning in a little book, you can’t help grabbing the same with both hands. I am glad I did.

    In this book, Will and Ariel, categorize lessons of the past under various faculties. The evolution of mankind, the overcoming of geological obstacles, the biological evolution and multiplication into innumerable life forms, racial and ethnic diversities, the development of our ethics and morals, the loosening grip of religion on our conscience, growth of economics, socialism, wars and the various forms of governments. They end the book by discussing whether we have progressed by learning our lessons wisely from our past or are we running around in circles. The whole book makes not just an interesting read but worthy of some deep contemplation too.

    The book is written in a plain, pragmatic and unostentatious manner. They don’t claim to know it all, but acknowledge that history is just a collection of varying perspectives, depending on our cultural, religious, social background and understanding. Also, they present a neutral stance on our past, without nurturing a tender nostalgia for our past while having bleak fears about the future, or going gaga about the modern times while dismissing the past as full of darkness and barbaric beings.

    The past is full of lessons for those who want to learn, and the lessons are neither hard, nor bitter. We get what we seek from our past. If you’re looking for hope, it is full of it. If you are pessimistic about human history, then past offers an abundance of excuses for that too. It is all up to us to wisely choose lessons that suit us, learn from them, use the wisdom to sail through our present, while building a rich heritage for the future generations for whom we will soon be pages of history.

    A lovely introduction into the various facets of human history and a book that no history-buff should miss!
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