''The Story of Civilization'' (1935–1975), by husband and wife
Will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
and
Ariel Durant, is an 11-volume set of books covering both Eastern and Western civilizations for the general reader, with a particular emphasis on European (Western) history.
The series was written over a span of four decades.
The first six volumes of ''The Story of Civilization'' are credited to Will Durant alone, with Ariel recognized only in the
acknowledgements. Beginning with ''The Age of Reason Begins'', Ariel is credited as a co-author. In the preface to the first volume, Durant states his intention to make the series in 5 volumes, although this would not turn out to be the case.
The series won a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 with the 10th volume in the series, ''Rousseau and Revolution''.
The volumes sold well for many years, and sets of them were frequently offered by
book clubs. An unabridged audiobook production of all eleven volumes was produced by the
Books on Tape company and was read by Alexander Adams (also known as
Grover Gardner).
Volumes
I. ''Our Oriental Heritage'' (1935)
This volume covers
Near East
The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...
ern history until the fall of the
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...
in the 330s BC, and the history of
India,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
up to the 1930s.
Reviews
James H. Breasted's review was highly negative. W. N. Brown was hardly more impressed. Henry James Forman, reviewing for
The New York Times found the work to be a masterpiece as did the
New York Herald Tribune
The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...
.
II. ''The Life of Greece'' (1939)
This volume covers
Ancient Greece and the
Hellenistic
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
Near East down to the Roman conquest.
Reviews
Michael Ginsberg was favorably disposed. As was Edmund C. Richards. Reviews over
Time and
Boston Evening Transcript were very positive.
III. ''Caesar and Christ'' (1944)
The volume covers the history of
Rome and of
Christianity until the time of
Constantine the Great
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...
.
Reviews
J.W. Swain noted the book was written for a popular audience rather than scholars. And, it was successful at that. A review in ''
Time'' was positive. John Day published a mixed review. Ralph Bates posted a negative one for ''
The New Republic''.
IV. ''The Age of Faith'' (1950)
This volume covers the
Middle Ages in both Europe and the Near East, from the time of
Constantine I
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea ...
to that of
Dante Alighieri.
Reviews
Sidney R. Packard, professor emeritus of history at
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
, found the work to be quite good. Norman V. Hope had a similar impression. L.H. Carlson, for the
Chicago Tribune, compared it to
Jacob Burckhardt
Carl Jacob Christoph Burckhardt (25 May 1818 – 8 August 1897) was a Swiss historian of art and culture and an influential figure in the historiography of both fields. He is known as one of the major progenitors of cultural history. Sigfri ...
's works.
V. ''The Renaissance'' (1953)
This volume covers the history of Italy from c.1300 to the mid 16th century, focusing on the
Italian Renaissance.
Reviews
Wallace K. Ferguson published a review. Geoffrey Brunn wrote a favorable review for The New York Times.
VI. ''The Reformation'' (1957)
This volume covers the history of Europe outside of Italy from around 1300 to 1564, focusing on the
Protestant Reformation.
Reviews
Geoffrey Bruun published a positive review for The New York Times.
Garrett Mattingly
Garrett Mattingly (May 6, 1900 – December 18, 1962) was a professor of European history at Columbia University who specialized in early modern diplomatic history. In 1960 he won a Pulitzer Prize for ''The Defeat of the Spanish Armada''.
Early l ...
, for The Saturday Review, lambasted the volume but went on to say that Durant was widely-read and a capable storyteller.
VII. ''The Age of Reason Begins'' (1961)
This volume covers the history of Europe and the Near East from 1559 to 1648.
Reviews
D. W. Brogan had a highly favorable impression. A review over the Time was positive.
VIII. ''The Age of Louis XIV'' (1963)
This volume covers the period of
Louis XIV of France in Europe and the Near East.
Reviews
J.H. Plumb found the book to be very poor. As did
Stanley Mellon.
IX. ''The Age of Voltaire'' (1965)
This volume covers the period of the
Age of Enlightenment, as exemplified by
Voltaire, focusing on the period between 1715 and 1756 in France, Britain, and Germany.
Reviews
Alfred J. Bingham found the volume to be a "thoroughly enjoyable semi-popular history".
X. ''Rousseau and Revolution'' (1967)
This volume centers on
Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his times. It received the
Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968.
Reviews
Alfred J. Bingham was effusive in his praise.
XI. ''The Age of Napoleon'' (1975)
This volume centers on
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
and his times.
Reviews
John H. Plumb was scathing. Joseph I. Shulim took a similar view. Alfred J. Bingham had a mixed yet favorable opinion. A review over The Saturday Review was very positive.
Development history
Editors on the series included
M. Lincoln ("Max") Schuster and
Michael Korda.
Reception
One volume, ''Rousseau and Revolution'', won the
Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1968. All eleven volumes were
Book-of-the-Month Club
Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members ch ...
selections and best-sellers with total sales of more than two million copies in nine languages.
Academia
Plumb's opinion on the series was that “historical truth… can rarely be achieved outside the professional world
f historians
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hi ...
”
See also
* ''
A Study of History''
* ''
The Cartoon History of the Universe''
*
''Civilisation'' (TV series)
* ''
The Outline of History''
* ''
The Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community''
* ''
The Story of Philosophy
''The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers'' is a 1926 book by Will Durant, in which he profiles several prominent Western philosophers and their ideas, beginning with Socrates and Plato and on through Friedrich ...
''
* ''
The Lessons of History
''The Lessons of History'' is a 1968 book by historians Will Durant and Ariel Durant.
The book provides a summary of periods and trends in history they had noted upon completion of the 10th volume of their momentous eleven-volume ''The Story of C ...
''
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Story of Civilization
Universal history books
Books by Will Durant
20th-century history books
Series of history books
Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction-winning works
Simon & Schuster books
Book series introduced in 1935
Books about civilizations