The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: A Modern Abridgment by Moses Hadas

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: A Modern Abridgment by Moses Hadas - Paperback

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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: A Modern Abridgment by Moses Hadas
  • The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: A Modern Abridgment by Moses Hadas
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: A Modern Abridgment by Moses Hadas - Paperback

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: A Modern Abridgment by Moses Hadas - Paperback

by Edward Gibbon
$26.95
$26.95

Book Overview

The Classic History of Rome's Fall From Glory in
an Unparalleled Abridgment and Reintroduction

Few historical works encompass the pathos, drama, and meticulous detail of Edward Gibbon's extraordinary record of Rome's demise, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which the English historian issued in six volumes from 1776 to 1789.

In 1962, classics scholar Moses Hadas produced an extraordinary-and long out-of-print-modern abridgment of Gibbon's landmark, opening its pages to the broadest possible range of readers. Now, Hadas's gloriously readable digest is available once more-with a new and wide-spanning introduction by PEN Award-winning historian Mitch Horowitz and an appendix of aphorisms from the book.

An artform in itself, "Hadas's effort is among the finest of any abridged works in English," Mitch writes in his introduction. "His condensation exposed this vital book to many readers who would have otherwise bypassed it. Hadas intrepidly identified and distilled a narrative throughline in Gibbon's six volumes, reducing more than 1,000,000 words-not counting nearly half as many more in source notes-to fewer than 100,000 words."

In its sweeping yet concise arc of history, this abridgment of Decline and Fall covers a span of almost 1,500 years from the time of Trajan in 180 A.D. to the siege of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. "Its theme," Hadas writes, "is the most overwhelming phenomenon in recorded history-the disintegration not of a nation but of an old and rich and apparently indestructible civilization."

In his introduction, Mitch clarifies historical confusions, such as the highly unorthodox form of early Christianity to which the Emperor Constantine converted in the early fourth century and the syncretic nature of Roman-and modern-religious traditions.

For readers eager to experience Gibbon's brilliant primary historicism, to understand the long decline of Rome-and the reasons for the Empire's demise-there exists no better or more accessible condensation of Decline and Fall.
ISBN9781722507190
Author Edward Gibbon
PublisherG&D Media
GenreHistory
FormatPaperback
PublishedSeptember 2024
LanguageENG- English
Pages364
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

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About Edward Gibbon

Edward Gibbon was born in 1737 in Putney, England, and was the only child of his parents to survive infancy. Although his education was frequently interrupted by ill health, his knowledge was far-reaching. His brief career as an undergraduate at Magdalen College, Oxford, ended when he joined the Catholic Church. His father sent him to Lausanne, in Switzerland, where, while studying Greek and French for the next five years, he re-joined the Protestant Church. In 1761 he published his Essai sur l'étude de la Littérature; the English version appeared in 1764. Meanwhile, Gibbon served as a captain in the Hampshire Militia until 1763, when he returned to the Continent. It was while he was in Rome in 1764 that he first conceived the work that was eventually to become The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In 1774, after the death of his father, Gibbon settled in London and was elected to Parliament where he sat for the next eight years, although he never once spoke in the Commons. He also took his place among the literary circles of London. The first volume of his famous History was published in 1776; it was highly praised for its learning and style but incurred some censure for its treatment of the early Christians. The second and third volumes appeared in 1781 and the final three, which were written in Lausanne, in 1788. He died while on a visit to his friend, Lord Sheffield, who posthumously edited Gibbon's autobiographical papers and published them in 1796.David Womersley teaches at Jesus College, Oxford, and edited Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire for Penguin Classics.

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