A Study of History: Abridgement of Volumes I-VI

By Arnold Joseph Toynbee, D. C. Toynbee, Arnold J.; Somervell, David Churchill Somervell

Book Overview

Arnold Toynbee's ten-volume analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations, A Study of History , is acknowledged as one of the greatest achievements of modern scholarship. "Of all the books published so far in this century," Clifton Fadiman once said, "the one most assured of being read a hundred years from now is A Study of History ." The Los Angeles Times called it "a veritable masterpiece of erudition and one of the most suggestive, stimulating and inspiring studies of this age." In The Study , Toynbee revolutionized the writing of history. By encompassing virtually all civilizations--the Egyptian, the Sumeric, the Mayan, the Iranian, the Japanese, the Hellenic, and the West, to name only a few--within the scope of his monumental work, he achieved the first all-embracing synthesis of world history. Before Toynbee, world histories were histories of the West, and only specialists wrote Babylonian, Arabian, or Aztec history. But Toynbee's scheme includes all nations and, more remarkably, by his emphasis on general patterns--on the genesis, growth and breakdown of civilizations--he was able to give a shape to this incredibly diverse material, making it comprehendable to the general reader. And Somervell's Abridgement is also a masterpiece--a masterpiece of condensation. In only two volumes, he has captured the method, atmosphere, texture, and, in most instances, the very words of the original. By leaving out most of Toynbee's illustrations, digressions, and asides (some of which were quite lengthy indeed), Somervell has actually clarified the argument of the book. The reaction to his Abridgement, when the first volume appeared in 1947, was exceptional: it was an immediate success in America, and exerpts and articles on it appeared in The Atlantic Monthly , Life , The New York Times Book sums it Review , Newsweek , and Time . The review in The Nation perhaps up best: "If [you] have time for only one book during this year--and the next and the next--Somervell's Abridgement...should be that book."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195001982
• ISBN13: 9780195001983
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
• Length: 617 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.1" x 1.6" x 5.6"

Customer Reviews

Magnificant

The reason why I am giving it five stars is that I cant give it 10! I didnt read the abridgement. Im still reading the actual 10 volumes. I just finished the fourth. I first came across this book while I was reading a book for Ali Shariati. Ali Shariati is usually critical of most things but he mentioned this book extremely favourably so I thought that I had to check it out. Thank God for that. Toynbee says that the greatest book ever written by man was Ibn Khaldoun's Muqadimat. I say that this book is the greatest book ever written, hands down.

Why the world is as it is now!

A key to Toynbee, fascinating in itself. This is marvelous not only for its view of World History, but as an interesting example of writing style and expository method.

Landmark Work

I won't spend time writing all the myriad ways in which I admired this work. It would take too long. If you have an intellectual bent, if you are interested in history, this work is a treasure trove.I particular admire that the author, unlike Spengler, found a space for God at the head of all that he documents; the author was not swayed by the simplistic atheistic zeitgeist of our age.

An absolute must have hardcover to pass down to your kids

Toynbee's comparative analysis of the birth life and decline of civilizations is an enlightening masterwork. The corrolations we can draw from history and apply to our own individual development are mind-blowing. A must have in hardback for any library. Takes awhile to work through, but high value added from the experience.

And you thought Nostrodomus was a prophet!

A Study of History is an excellent, lifetime study of how and why civilization progresses through time. Written in 1939, Toynbee predicts the rise of nationalism, the fall of the USSR, and victory of capitalism, and the enormous growth of Western culture. His central theme is simple yet true: civilizations advance by overcoming outside challenges and internal stagnation. Read this once per lifetime.