Fall of Civilizations - by Paul Cooper (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Based on the podcast with over one hundred million downloads, Fall of Civilizations ... explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse. Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and Vijayanagara in Asia and Songhai in West Africa; from Byzantium to the Maya, Inca, and Aztecs of Central America; from Roman Britain to Rapa Nui. With ... research, ... insight, and ... empathic storytelling, historian and novelist Paul Cooper evokes the majesty and jeopardy of these ancient civilizations, and asks what it might have felt like for a person alive at the time to witness the end of their world"--

Book Synopsis

"A treasure trove of myths and terror... Atmospheric as hell... Immersive."-The Times

Based on the podcast with over one hundred million downloads, Fall of Civilizations brilliantly explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse.

Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and Vijayanagara in Asia and Songhai in West Africa; from Byzantium to the Maya, Inca and Aztecs of Central America; from Roman Britain to Rapa Nui. With meticulous research, breathtaking insight and dazzling, empathic storytelling, historian and novelist Paul Cooper evokes the majesty and jeopardy of these ancient civilizations, and asks what it might have felt like for a person alive at the time to witness the end of their world.

Review Quotes

"Excellent."―Guardian

"Cooper is a gifted collector of historical jigsaw pieces... [A] quirky, curiously compelling book."--Times UK


"Paul Cooper has a historian's cool for what we know and what we don't...but a novelist's eye for vivid details." --Seattle Times

"Cooper is a phenomenon."--Sunday Times

"Certain to connect with an enthusiastic readership."--Unseen Histories

"Eminently readable... one can almost hear the spoken word as one reads. Yet Cooper has built his narrative out of close reading of the original sources... the author's strength is his ability to evoke the physical setting of the great cities that lay at the heart of empires."--Spectator


"Paul Cooper's histories of fallen civilizations are brilliantly written: clear, compelling, and ultimately chilling... Full of fascinating detail and nuanced findings, you need to read this book." --Cal Flyn, journalist and author of Islands of Abandonment

"Vividly written and compellingly researched." --Tim Leach, author of The Hollow Throne


"An instructive, engaging and compelling epic which reveals the fragility of human existence: magnificent triumphs and lamentable tragedies, the civilized and the barbarian. A timely tour de force of historical storytelling."--Ron Ramdin, author of The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain

"A broad study of civilizations ....even history buffs will glean plenty of interesting historical information as he moves forward through the Khmer, Maya, and Vijayanagara India."--Kirkus

"Cooper begins with the Sumerians and creates a sense of simultaneous awe and melancholy....Cooper's extensive array of sources, including archeological and historical scholarship as well as chronicles, poetry, and correspondence contemporary to each civilization, paint vivid pictures and invites readers to imagine experiencing this history for themselves. Despite its focus on devastation, Fall of Civilizations attests to humanity's resilience as it attempts to answer the question, "What will become of us?"--Shelf Awareness STARRED review