| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in Byzantium: The Early Centuries: The Early Centuries v. 1 for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
'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.
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.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
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.
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.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
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.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
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.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Entertaining History
Criticisms first, I found it slightly old fashioned and could have
benefitted from a few maps etc. Read more
benefitted from a few maps etc. Read more
Published 12 days ago by duncan cameron
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 5 months ago by DavesTheName
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 9 months ago by Cardew Robinson
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 13 months ago by Molten Beaks
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 18 months ago by The Emperor
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 23 months ago by amzonuser
History
Print very small, but author knows how to make history interesting. Book was a bit dog eared!
Published on 3 Feb 2010 by Helen Duffy
Change your world, in three charming books
I'm trying to think of some area of the arts and humanities of which this series of books has not affected my understanding. Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2009 by N.G.Habsburg
A must for those interested in hearing of the Roman empire in the east
The story of the Byzantine empire is rivettingly told by Norwich - how in effect the Roman empire continued well into the next millenium but slowly and inexorably succumbing to the... Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2009 by Aquinas
Byzantium The Early Centuries
Previous reviewers were right. This is an informative and entertaining read. It goes into more detail than I expected for a "non-academic" text, but it held my attention through... Read more
Published on 17 May 2009 by Antenna
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
