Spanning thirteen centuries from the age of Trajan to the taking of Constantinople by the Turks, DECLINE & FALL is one of the greatest narratives in European Literature. David Womersley's masterly selection and bridging commentary enables the readerto acquire a general sense of the progress and argument of the whole work and displays the full variety of Gibbon's achievement.
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About the Author
Edward Gibbon (1737-94) studied briefly at Magdalen College, Oxford and at Lausanne, Switzerland before being elected to Parliament in 1774. DECLINE & FALL was written over 12 years and established his reputation as a pre-eminent Classical historian.
David Womersley, Official Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Jesus College Oxford, is the author of The Transformation of the Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire (CUP) and edited the 3-volume edition of DECLINE & FALL for Penguin Classics.
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First Sentence
It is not my intention to detain the reader by expatiating on the variety, or the importance of the subject, which I have undertaken to treat; since the merit of the choice would serve to render the weakness of the execution still more apparent, and still less excusable. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
It is not my intention to detain the reader by expatiating on the variety, or the importance of the subject, which I have undertaken to treat; since the merit of the choice would serve to render the weakness of the execution still more apparent, and still less excusable. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A. J. Martyr
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I did not have an education that majored in the classics and having given up Latin before O levels, I think I fall short of the target audience of the original author and subsequent editor.
One needs stamina and determination to read the book from cover to cover but the story it tells and the manner of its telling I found compelling.
The great advantage of reading it on a Kindle is that if like me your vocabulary is inadequate to the task then you are able to use the inbuilt dictionary as you proceed.
The story told is epic in every way and the lessons learnt have considerable relevance to today's society - for example, as riots were breaking out recently in Birmingham and London I read the following paragraph:
"Whenever numerous groups of banditti, multiplied by success and impunity, publicly defy, instead of eluding the justice of their country, we may safely infer, that the excessive weakness of the government is felt and abused by the lowest ranks of the community"
The sentence length, multiple levels of parenthesis, syntax and vocabulary require a greater level of concentration on behalf of the reader than then of a modern history book but the effort is worth it.
The edition lost one star by not translating into English some (not all) of the footnotes left in Latin.
One needs stamina and determination to read the book from cover to cover but the story it tells and the manner of its telling I found compelling.
The great advantage of reading it on a Kindle is that if like me your vocabulary is inadequate to the task then you are able to use the inbuilt dictionary as you proceed.
The story told is epic in every way and the lessons learnt have considerable relevance to today's society - for example, as riots were breaking out recently in Birmingham and London I read the following paragraph:
"Whenever numerous groups of banditti, multiplied by success and impunity, publicly defy, instead of eluding the justice of their country, we may safely infer, that the excessive weakness of the government is felt and abused by the lowest ranks of the community"
The sentence length, multiple levels of parenthesis, syntax and vocabulary require a greater level of concentration on behalf of the reader than then of a modern history book but the effort is worth it.
The edition lost one star by not translating into English some (not all) of the footnotes left in Latin.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By John Ferngrove
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I have read much history in the last few years but no other historical writer has moved me quite like Gibbon. I have shed tears more than once whilst engaged on this extraordinary journey. Until now, my reading of history has been an effort to forge a dim and tenuous link with peoples of the past in the hope of entering, in some small way, their minds and worlds. With Gibbon though my kinship with the generations has been bought vividly to life and made it all too clear, that for good or ill, men and women are the same in all times and all places and that all history is just one story. On a day when fresh war and misery has just erupted in a place which the Romans would have called Colchis (Georgia) it is impossible not to feel that this is the just the same story endlessly repeating itself. Rome rises and falls again and again. The periods of peace, prosperity and freedom precious islands in the midst of chaos that we so easily take for granted. For some of us the barbarians are safely thousands of miles away until the day whereby, through sloth and ignorance, we wake to find them at the gates.
This is no easy read of course. The language, whilst exquisite, verges on the archaic. But for those willing to embark on the journey you will find out as much about the world we live in today as that of supposed antiquity.
This is no easy read of course. The language, whilst exquisite, verges on the archaic. But for those willing to embark on the journey you will find out as much about the world we live in today as that of supposed antiquity.
40 of 44 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
At the beginning of this book the Roman empire stands unconquerable - arguably the most successful civilisation ever; by the end Constantinople is falling and the last Caesar is able to muster only a handful of soldiers for the defence of his degenerate regime. The scope of this book is awesome. It is hard to believe that the original text was written over 200 years ago. Gibbon's clarity of thought and arguement is superb.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
This is a lengthy and detailed account of the qualities and iniquities of what was the Roman Empire. I downloaded it to my Kindle free of charge and recommend it to anyone who loves reading, it's quite a story!
28 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Sylheti
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Gibbon's ultra-fine delve into the history of Rome wrecked his faith in Christianity (he figured out they just made it up as they went along). This book (the full version) long retained the esteem of being among the list of books banned by the Vatican in its 'Index Librorium prohibitorum.(i.e. dontchya' reada badass bookus)
The text unfolds eloquently in the grand august language that set the standard for all subsequent big histories.
The quality of style is evident from the beginning as your fears of being swamped in a mass of cold detail and chronology are quickly erased. The initial encounter is one of profound eloquence, deep insights and detailed stories grounded in their appropriate context. The text is full of reflective asides on the nature of human beings, the corruptive nature of power, the fragile frame of human unity, and above all the sheer hypocrisy of the dogmas used by ruling forces to give either an ideological or credal basis for their despotism.
I absolutely loved this book, kept in my bag, at my bedside and read it bit by bit, on and off, for over a year. Admittedly, i'm not able to recall the names of all the emperors, all the battles or recite much of the factual instances narrated...but that wasn't the point. It was a journey, rather like taking occasional walks with a wise old man.
I don't really know much about history and haven't read many history books, so I'll leave it to others to comment on whether it's an academically legit and accurate account of Rome. All I can say is that I enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.
I suspect most people will buy this, as i did, with no intent of reading it cover to cover, but once i got started - it was just so engrossing and rich in style that it became a pleasure to read.... Read more ›
The text unfolds eloquently in the grand august language that set the standard for all subsequent big histories.
The quality of style is evident from the beginning as your fears of being swamped in a mass of cold detail and chronology are quickly erased. The initial encounter is one of profound eloquence, deep insights and detailed stories grounded in their appropriate context. The text is full of reflective asides on the nature of human beings, the corruptive nature of power, the fragile frame of human unity, and above all the sheer hypocrisy of the dogmas used by ruling forces to give either an ideological or credal basis for their despotism.
I absolutely loved this book, kept in my bag, at my bedside and read it bit by bit, on and off, for over a year. Admittedly, i'm not able to recall the names of all the emperors, all the battles or recite much of the factual instances narrated...but that wasn't the point. It was a journey, rather like taking occasional walks with a wise old man.
I don't really know much about history and haven't read many history books, so I'll leave it to others to comment on whether it's an academically legit and accurate account of Rome. All I can say is that I enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.
I suspect most people will buy this, as i did, with no intent of reading it cover to cover, but once i got started - it was just so engrossing and rich in style that it became a pleasure to read.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By L. C. Walker
Format:Paperback
Brilliant book, one which you can put down and come back to weeks or months later and still know where you are with it. Very clever considering the time its been around. I recommend this to any Roman enthusiast.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A sloppy presentation of Gibbon's masterpiece
It amazes me that books for e-readers don't utilize the multi-media capabilities of those devices. This particular one is such a disinterested rendering into electronic format... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bellrope
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brlliant still after 150 years
If you would understand what has already happened and will probably continue to happen to Great Britain; then you would do well to read Gibbon and see the parallels between The... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. K. H. Plunkett
5.0 out of 5 stars
Decline and Fall
One of the greatest books of the English language. The great champion Churchill wrote "I was smitten by it! Read more
Published 6 months ago by Stephen Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Eleven hundred and sixty-three years after the foundation of Rome..."
...the "barbarians" took it back. Rome lasted over a millennium, and the length of its rule, and civilizing influence has never been matched, even by China. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2011 by John P. Jones III
3.0 out of 5 stars
hostory of rome vol 1 to 8
bought this due been cheap and allin one it is hard to read the notes are all mixed up get the separate volume for a better reading experience
Published on 5 Oct 2010 by Mr. P. D. Dennison
5.0 out of 5 stars
IT'S A CHALLENGE . . .
. . . but you get back your investment in time in the shape of pleasure and enjoyment.
As a Kindle or similar it's a gimmick. It needs the printed page.
As a Kindle or similar it's a gimmick. It needs the printed page.
Published on 26 Sep 2010 by Andrew
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book with a few drawbacks
I just finished reading Volume 1 (which, strangely enough, contains the original volumes I and II), and I have mixed feelings.
Pros: It is extremely comprehensive. Read more
Pros: It is extremely comprehensive. Read more
Published on 24 May 2010 by Peyman Askari
3.0 out of 5 stars
No pain, no gain
This isn't an easy ride: it took me months AND I got lost among all the emperors! Having said that it has wonderful anecdotes and sweeping overviews that leave you quite out of... Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2001
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