Edward Gibbon's masterpiece of historical writing is presented here in a stunning large-format gift edition with printed page edges and classic illustrations by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. The original publication was an exhaustive, six-volume account of a 'revolution which shall ever be remembered and is still felt by the nations of the earth'; published between 1776 and 1788, is the undisputed masterpiece of English historical writing. 71 chapters, of which 21 appear in full in this edition, with style, learning and wit, Gibbon takes the reader through the history of Europe from the 2nd century to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 - an enthralling account by 'the greatest of the historians of the Enlightenment'. He covers the Golden Age of the Antonines, the growth of the military, the new Imperial system, the rise of Christianity, Constantinople and Constantine, the pagan counter-reformation, the state of Italy, the Age of Justinian, theological influences, the coming of Islam the crusades and the end of the Roman Empire. This celebrated work of historical scholarship has been abridged to a more digestible length, complete with scabrous and entertaining footnotes detailing the decadence that led to the fall of Rome. Piranesi's dramatic neoclassical etchings in huge full page detail accompany the text, as well as the deep red and black extraordinary printed page edges and full-colour endpapers, and there are maps. 24 x 30cm, 384 pages in new, full price Arcturus Epic Classics series.
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