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Byzantium: The Early Centuries: The Early Centuries v. 1 [Paperback]

John Julius Norwich (Author)

4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 6 Dec 1990

'He is brilliant ... He writes like the most cultivated modern diplomat attached by a freak of time to the Byzantine court, with intimate knowledge, tactful judgement and a consciousness of the surviving monuments' Independent

In this exciting narrative history, John Julius Norwich, one of most accomplished popular historians, reveals the beginning of Byzantium. He tells of the five formative centuries of an empire that would enthral the western world for more than eleven hundred years.

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Product details

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (6 Dec 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140114475
ISBN-13: 978-0140114478
Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.8 x 19.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 238,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

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Product Description

About the Author

Born in 1929, John Julius Norwich served in the foreign office for twelve years before resigning in 1964 in order to write. His many publications include his two-book history published by Penguin in one volume entitled The Normans in Sicily; two travel books, Mount Athos (with Reresby Sitwell) and Sahara; The Architecture of Southern England; Glyndebourne; three anthologies of poetry and prose, Christmas Crackers, More Christmas Crackers and Still More Christmas Crackers; A History of Venice; and his three-volume history of the Byzantine empire of which this is the first, Byzantium: The Apogee is the second, and Byzantium: The Decline and Fall is the third. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal Geographical Society and the Society of Antiquaries, a Companion of the Royal Victorian Order and a Commendatore of the Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read 20 Mar 2006

By madradubh

Format:Paperback

Norwich from the outset says that this book is not for academics - with that in mind we can settle down to a glorious read. The book is a fast paced easy to follow read and will enthrall new readers and students of Byzantium alike. Norwich's has a wonderful conversational tone and gives the feeling of a sly guide into this world. You feel his passion for the era and his juicy and scandalous gossip approach to controversial events or naughty titbits is briliant. This book cannot come with high enough praise - you will not be able to put it down - enjoy.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent narrative history about a fascinating city & culture 28 Sep 2006

By Roman Clodia TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Starting with Constantine and his rather dubious 'conversion' to christianity (i.e. he never quite got round, like most Romans, to abandoning the pagan gods... just in case!) this is a wonderfully succinct and almost luxurious history of not just the city of Byzantium but the culture and context of it. Norwich is excellent on the twilight of the roman empire, a period little known, understood or written about, but also peoples his history with vivid character portraits. He wears his learning extremely lightly making even the complexities of religious debate and heresies comprehensible for the layman, although there are times where he takes too much knowledge for granted (e.g. when discussing Arian and the Donatists, he doesn't bother to explain who the Donatists are). However this is a minor quibble and it doesn't slow up the narrative at all. Altogether an excellent read.

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49 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Byzantine History for everyone 24 Aug 2002

By "michas"

Format:Paperback

Although I am not an expert, I have read numerous books on the subject of Byzantium, in Greek and in English, varying from school textbooks, to the widely accepted books of famous scholars like Vasiliev and Ostrogorski. I must admit that John Julius Norwich in his trilogy "Byzantium", is succesful in producing by far the most intriguing and "easy" byzantine history books that I have read. Once started, it is very diffcult to lay the book back on the table. This is partly due to the fascinating nature of Byzantine history, but also to the wonderful writing style of John Julius Norwich; he not only has a deep knowledge of the subject, but he is also a great writer. His book conveys the full scale of historical events and characters of the history of a christian empire born out of the ashes of the Roman state.
Founded in 330, a year that marks the glorious opening of the "city of cities", Constantinople, Byzantine history ends with the sacking and destruction of this very same city by the turkish hords in 1453, that has since stood on the Bosporus only to remind us of its past greatness. During its 1123 years, the empire progressed to an unforeseen glory and wealth in all aspects of human activity, and has laid the foundation of Europe and the Western civilization in general.
This first book covers the first four centuries, starting from the first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great, the founder of Constantinople, and ends with Irene the Athenian, that ruled in the East during the days of Charlemagne in the West.
Dates and important events are noted in the headers of every odd page, making random reference very easy. The book comes in its usual poor paperback quality.
If you decide to buy this book, which I personnaly strongly recommend, I believe that you'd better buy all three books of Norwich's "Byzantium" series together. They are definitely worth it.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Where West meets East

I was seeking a good book on Byzantium for research on a young peoples book I am writing.John Julius Norwich book was gripping from page 1 ,nay from the introduction. Read more

Published 5 days ago by Alan

5.0 out of 5 stars the early byzantium

very good book, has history and facts and takes you through the fall of the Roman Empire and the forming of the Byzantine Empire.

Published 8 months ago by maria t.

5.0 out of 5 stars History at its best

Norwich's writing is superb, and even the fascinating events and characters of the Byzantine Empire feel like mere accompaniments to Norwich's beautiful prose. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Reader from London

5.0 out of 5 stars eastern romans march again

I have always hated the name byzantium, those people NEVEr called themselves that and snobby historians gave them that name, They were the eastern ROMAN EMPIRE, but that's not the... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Michael Dobey

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining History

Criticisms first, I found it slightly old fashioned and could have
benefitted from a few maps etc. Read more

Published 12 months ago by duncan cameron

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book

I can't really say any more than others here have already said - this is a fantastic book and a great introduction to what the author himself describes as something of a forgotten... Read more

Published 17 months ago by DavesTheName

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewing the whole trilogy: Part One, in which Norwich sets out his...

For a long time to come this trilogy of books will be the first and last word for the general reader looking to learn about this most vibrant, fascinating, ignored and downright... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Cardew Robinson

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow. Just wow.

I read a lot of history. And although I am only 200 odd pages into the first of this trilogy, I am moved to write a review becuase it is, quite simply, fantastic. Read more

Published on 7 April 2011 by Molten Beaks

5.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining

A fantastic book. JJ Norwich is a great writer. The endless parade of rulers and religious disputes in Byzantium's history can get a bit tiring but he does very well in keeping it... Read more

Published on 18 Nov 2010 by The Emperor

5.0 out of 5 stars Great detailed history

Another win by John Julius Norwich. A must have along with the other books for anyone interested Constantinople and Byzantine history.

Published on 12 Jun 2010 by amzonuser

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