The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

By Edward Gibbon and Hans-Friedrich Mueller

Edited, abridged, and with a critical Foreword by Hans-Friedrich Mueller
Introduction by Daniel J. Boorstin
Illustrations by Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Edward Gibbon’s masterpiece, which narrates the history of the Roman Empire from the second century A.D. to its collapse in the west in the fifth century and in the east in the fifteenth century, is widely considered the greatest work of history ever written. This abridgment retains the full scope of the original, but in a breadth comparable to a novel. Casual readers now have access to the full sweep of Gibbon’s narrative, while instructors and students have a volume that can be read in a single term. This unique edition emphasizes elements ignored in all other abridgments—in particular the role of religion in the empire and the rise of Islam.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 14, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307419767

Edward Gibbon

Edward Gibbon; (8 May – 16 January 1794) was an English historian, writer and Member of Parliament. His most important work, "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788 and is known for the quality and irony of its prose, its use of primary sources, and its open criticism of organised religion. (Wikipedia)

Reviews for The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged)

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A big book, and one which will not stand being edited. the epigrams fall thickly, and the insights into general human behaviours and particularly of the Enlightenment frame of mind are very valuable. If you want training in the prose that the framers of the American Constitution worked in, it is a valuable and entertaining tool. I used the Everyman edition, for this entry because of the valuable notes, and the Great Books of the Western world has a great binding, though the notes are relegated to the end of the volume...an annoying habit for the footnote reader, thus the need of a sturdy binding. Oh, the actual matter of the work is the history of the end of the Western Empire in 476, and the continuing history of the Eastern Mediterranean basin until 1453. It is always worth reading. The publishing of the six volume original edition was protracted from 1776 to 1789.

[benedict8-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

No I have not read the whole thing. About a quarter of it. It features spectacular English and wonderful irony. It is long, but not boring by any means. I learned more about how religion operates in human society than any other place.

Gibbon also understands the character of the other folk who created our history.

Astonishing accomplishment.

Winston Churchill was said to have committed Chapter 14 to memory all his life (the one about Christianity).

[rrriles · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh god this book is dense. For every page I read, 300 years pass and fifteen emperors die. A nice come-down if you're feeling particularly self-important and focused.