The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volumes 4 to 6 (of Six) - by Edward Gibbon (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The final three volumes of the most famous historical chronicle in English, in hardcover in a gorgeously illustrated box set, with an introduction by renowned scholar Hugh Trevor-Roper.

Edward Gibbon's account of Roman decline remains a remarkably fresh and vital contribution to the subject more than two centuries after its first publication. A landmark in its time for classical and historiographical scholarship, its fame today, however, rests more on the scope and force of Gibbon's argument and the brilliance of his style, which is still an utter delight to read. But above all, the book is a superb monument to the Enlightenment ideal of rational enquiry which Gibbon made the object of his life's work.

Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, and European-style half-round spines. Everyman's Library Classics include an introduction, a select bibliography, and a chronology of the author's life and times.

From the Back Cover

'Gibbon is a kind of bridge that connects the ancient with the ancient with the modern ages, ' noted Thomas Carlyle. 'And how gorgeously does it swing across the gloomy and tumultuous chasm of these barbarous centuries.' Indeed, Gibbon, the supreme historian of the Enlightenment--the illustrious scholar who envisioned history as a branch of literature--seemed almost predestined to write his monumental account of the Roman Empire's terrible self-destruction.

About the Author

Edward Gibbon was an English historian, writer, and member of Parliament.