From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present Book

At the outset of Jacques Barzun's colossal book From Dawn to Decadence 1500 to the Present: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life, the author admits that when asked by friends how long he has been writing his book, he can only answer--a lifetime. The book is worth the wait for its extraordinary energy and intellectual range. Barzun begins by arguing that "by tracing in broad outline the evolution of art, science, religion, philosophy and social though during the last 500 years, I hope to show that during this span the peoples of the West offered the world a set of ideas and institutions not found earlier elsewhere." In the process Barzun adroitly guides the reader from Luther's Ninety-five Theses and the religious revolution of the 16th century, through what he calls "the monarchical, liberal and social" revolutions of the subsequent 400 years that have shaped the culture of the modern Western world. All of Western life and thought can be found somewhere in From Dawn to Decadence. Portraits of Martin Luther, Shakespeare, Descartes, Florence Nightingale and James Joyce jostle alongside snapshots of cities at turning points in history--"The View from Venice Around 1650", "The View from Paris Around 1830", and finally "A View from New York Around 1995". Barzun's central argument is that "after a time, the Western mind was set upon by a blight: it was Boredom." This does lead Barzun to some more curmudgeonly comments towards the end of the book, where he deals with the cultural exhaustion of the last decades of the 20th century, but over 800 pages he offers more than enough insight into an incredible sweep of history to make this a riveting and rewarding book. --Jerry BrottonRead More

from£N/A | RRP: £20.00
* Excludes Voucher Code Discount Also available Used from £N/A
  • BookDepository

    From Dawn to Decadence : Paperback : HarperCollins Publishers Inc : 9780060928834 : 0060928832 : 15 May 2001 : Now in paperback, one of the master historians of the century explains why he views the present as a time of decadence while celebrating the achievements of the great cultural creators of the past five centuries.

  • 0060928832
  • 9780060928834
  • Jacques Barzun
  • 1 May 2001
  • Harper Perennial
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 912
  • 1
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click through any of the links below and make a purchase we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Click here to learn more.

Would you like your name to appear with the review?

We will post your book review within a day or so as long as it meets our guidelines and terms and conditions. All reviews submitted become the licensed property of www.find-book.co.uk as written in our terms and conditions. None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

All form fields are required.