Rating: 
Summary: A magistrally written sequel
Review: Edward Gibbon is the most talented British historian of all times and "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" is his acclaimed masterwork, an opus which should be included in whatever list of the 100 most important literary works of all times. The first three books, elegantly featured on a velvet green cover and boxed together in picturally attractive white cardbox, cover the decline and fall of the so-called Western Empire, seated alternately in Rome or Verona in Italy in the end of the V century A.D., and I read it with respect and awe in no more than a month (see the pertinent review). The sequel, again presented with all the elegance the opus deserves, is composed of three voluminous books, totalling again some 2.000 pages and covering the period after the fall of Rome to the barbarians of the Visigoth Allaric and others, where the power and the Empire has moved its see to Constantinople (Byzantium) in the East. The Crusades and the likeness of the prophet Mohamed are there, although from the preconcept and biased view of a retrograde XVIII English colonizer who likened the Arabs to savages and women to a second class position in society.
This second series of book is as good and lenghty as the first series, something which is in itself an almost unattainable goal to any sequel such as this, and Gibbon has once again the reader's attention suspended on a perpetual state of anxiety, always looking forward to read in the next sequence of words a point of view or a descriptive text magistrally written about human boldness and courage in the event of victory, or else the picture of the frailties of human soul when facing impending danger. His polemical portrait of Empress Theodora (according to him a former prostitute) is unequaled to anything written before or after him, specially the part where it was to her that the fleeing emperor Athanasius owe the maintenance of his wavering will and his imperial rule.
The erudition of Edward Gibbon is unparalelled and he unassumedly cites many ancient writters in Greek, Latin, French and other languages, letting solely to the reader the not so easy task of translating it into English. His English is elegant and unexpected and the avail of a handy good English dictionary of archaic words will be a helpfull tool to the reader. His sources are profuse and diversified and whenever he has the opportunity, he traces the parallel of ancient history with contemporary and imperial England in the making.
In my opinion, the misconcepts of some of his views notwithstanding, this is one of the most important works concerning the fall of Rome ever done and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: A magistrally written sequel
Review: Edward Gibbon is the most talented British historian of all times and "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" is his acclaimed masterwork, an opus which should be included in whatever list of the 100 most important literary works of all times. The first three books, elegantly featured on a velvet green cover and boxed together in picturally attractive white cardbox, cover the decline and fall of the so-called Western Empire, seated alternately in Rome or Verona in Italy in the end of the V century A.D., and I read it with respect and awe in no more than a month (see the pertinent review). The sequel, again presented with all the elegance the opus deserves, is composed of three voluminous books, totalling again some 2.000 pages and covering the period after the fall of Rome to the barbarians of the Visigoth Allaric and others, where the power and the Empire has moved its see to Constantinople (Byzantium) in the East. The Crusades and the likeness of the prophet Mohamed are there, although from the preconcept and biased view of a retrograde XVIII English colonizer who likened the Arabs to savages and women to a second class position in society.
This second series of book is as good and lenghty as the first series, something which is in itself an almost unattainable goal to any sequel such as this, and Gibbon has once again the reader's attention suspended on a perpetual state of anxiety, always looking forward to read in the next sequence of words a point of view or a descriptive text magistrally written about human boldness and courage in the event of victory, or else the picture of the frailties of human soul when facing impending danger. His polemical portrait of Empress Theodora (according to him a former prostitute) is unequaled to anything written before or after him, specially the part where it was to her that the fleeing emperor Athanasius owe the maintenance of his wavering will and his imperial rule.
The erudition of Edward Gibbon is unparalelled and he unassumedly cites many ancient writters in Greek, Latin, French and other languages, letting solely to the reader the not so easy task of translating it into English. His English is elegant and unexpected and the avail of a handy good English dictionary of archaic words will be a helpfull tool to the reader. His sources are profuse and diversified and whenever he has the opportunity, he traces the parallel of ancient history with contemporary and imperial England in the making.
In my opinion, the misconcepts of some of his views notwithstanding, this is one of the most important works concerning the fall of Rome ever done and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest history written in English
Review: Edward Gibbon's "Decline & Fall" is one of the best books you will ever come across. There are three basic reasons for loving this book.First, the style. No English historian surpasses Gibbon, no, not even Kinglake, and surely not Churchill. Gibbon chooses his words very carefully and says exactly what he means to say. Second, the history. These books first began appearing in 1776 (an easy year to remember for Yanks!) and so -- obviously -- they're not the latest and greatest. My own favorite Gibbon error is a big one, an error which was echoed by Will Durant and many others: Gibbon misread an oration from ancient Greece, and, based on this misreading, declared that homosexuality had been illegal in ancient Greece! :-P (Kenneth Dover cleared this error up.) But, by and large, there is nowhere else to go for so many wonderful facts about our history, European history, for a period of some 1500 years. As you turn the pages and savor the magnificent prose, you will also recoil in horror as you watch voodoo witch doctors terminate religious freedom in Europe and declare war on European civilization! Thrills and chills! Third is Gibbon's numinous intelligence. He's a delightful companion and mentor to have alongside as you make this journey into discovery. They don't come any better than this!
Rating:
Summary: Peerless history
Review: Edward Gibbon's masterpiece is not only the finest work of history in the English language, it is also one of its greatest narratives. No writer can fail to learn from how Gibbon used his incredible command of sources and texts to fashion his work; no student of the classic world can fail to learn from Gibbon's wealth of detail; no educated person can fail to learn from his depiction of the corruption and collapse of a once-mighty empire. Modern historians pooh-pooh Gibbon's "bias" and "slant" and insinuate that the mighty world of professional academic history "gets" the subject in a way Gibbon did not. Gibbon was a man, of course, and his word is not final. Yet the difference is that while historians today are blind to their own equally crippling prejudices, Gibbon wears his ones on his sleeve and nevertheless dares his detractors to doubt his erudition and achievement. They are pedants, but he is the Master. I find it interesting that while Gibbon had no formal training in history whatsoever, men and women today must spend close to a decade labouring over some insignificant point in the record to become a "real" historian. A telling point.
Rating:
Summary: A work of literature as well as history.
Review: Gibbon can be intimidating with his paragraph long multi-clausal sentences, but he is one of the real greats of English literature. His oft referred to first volume - with its analysis of the early empire and the spread of Christianity - should be must reading for anyone with an interest in how we've gotten to where we are, but his later volumes (e.g. on Belisarius or Julian) also resonate with insight into the characters of politicians and their adversaries. The book is also interesting as an insight into Gibbon; his asides and analyses show wit, intelligence, and an admirable array of interests. This work is a very rare 10
Rating:
Summary: A Classic, and a good read to boot
Review: Gibbon writes well, and this abridged edition makes him even more accessible. It is interesting to consider both the history he describes and also the viewpoint of the time in which he was writing in the late 18th century.
Rating:
Summary: Standard reading
Review: Gibbon's Decline - whilst ancient history scholars of today will recognise the challenges in the theories which are, understandably, outdated with current knowledge of the subject - is a book that should be read not just for its subject matter but as a great exponent of historiography.
Ancient History scholars - don't take it as a precise secondary source. Everyone else should a)have it on their shelves, b)have read it.
Rating:
Summary: Wise, influential, incomparable
Review: Gibbon's great work was published in the late 18th century. Don't read it looking for a contemporary style "historical analysis." Read it for its timeless wisdom and beauty, for which there is no parallel. Today's college history text is to Gibbon as the latest Spice Girls album is to Mozart.
Winston Churchill was largely self-educated, and he wrote that Gibbon loomed large in his reading during his early 20's. Read Gibbon; then read Churchill's famous war speeches. Notice the cadence, and consider why Churchill's Nobel prize was awarded for his oratory.
Ah, Sunday morning, a pot of coffee, and Gibbon! You can obtain Gibbon's history in many different editions new and old, cheap paperbacks and pricy collectors versions. Just get one, preferably unabridged, and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: STILL HOLDS UP IN MOST REGARDS EVEN AFTER 2 CENTURIES
Review: I always loved Roman and Byzantine history, so it was only a matter of time before I "knew" I had to read this. Like most of you I had heard a lot of modern authors and historians condemn Gibbon but I found him to be very entertaining and informative. Unlike the genius below who POSTED HER PSAT SCORES, I liked his writing style. It's obvious that the FLOW of history is important to him. I especially enjoyed the chapters in the first book about early Christianity - he actually takes a very harsh view that was very refreshing. His storytelling is superior to all others and this book is rightfully considered among the best works of the English language. However, Gibbon does have some drawbacks- though it wasn't his fault. The Byzantine Empire, Slavs, Bulgarians, etc all get shafted by Gibbon. It's understandable since at the time this work was written, Byzantine study was not given serious thought. Overall a 5 star book! For Byzantine history I would recommend Procopius, Psellus, or "Romanus Lecapanus and his Reign" by Sir Steven Runcimen. Can't go wrong with those!
Rating:
Summary: STILL HOLDS UP IN MOST REGARDS EVEN AFTER 2 CENTURIES
Review: I always loved Roman and Byzantine history, so it was only a matter of time before I "knew" I had to read this. Like most of you I had heard a lot of modern authors and historians condemn Gibbon but I found him to be very entertaining and informative. Unlike the genius below who POSTED HER PSAT SCORES, I liked his writing style. It's obvious that the FLOW of history is important to him. I especially enjoyed the chapters in the first book about early Christianity - he actually takes a very harsh view that was very refreshing. His storytelling is superior to all others and this book is rightfully considered among the best works of the English language. However, Gibbon does have some drawbacks- though it wasn't his fault. The Byzantine Empire, Slavs, Bulgarians, etc all get shafted by Gibbon. It's understandable since at the time this work was written, Byzantine study was not given serious thought. Overall a 5 star book! For Byzantine history I would recommend Procopius, Psellus, or "Romanus Lecapanus and his Reign" by Sir Steven Runcimen. Can't go wrong with those!
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