Infotopia (fka IFTA)

[thepennyking]

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

A correspondent who wishes to remain anonymous writes:

One can say of Gibbon what Mark Twain said of whiskey: "Too much of anything is too much but too much whiskey is just right."

I usually have a half dozen or more books underway at any time but I laid them all aside and was able to absorb the panoramic effect which is realized from a continuous and relatively short reading. I now have an historical framework of 14 centuries within which to put pieces which have for years laid neglected in the muck which constitutes what is left of my memory.

The effect of a continuous reading of Gibbon is dazzling but you may have to postpone that for retirement or a lucky shipwreck.

I read the Penguin edition which has a superb introduction. It was an intellectual feast. Gibbon's Memoirs are worth the attention of any reader of the history but I would suggest reading it after finishing the history. The footnotes were rich in interesting detail and the frequent references to Montesquieu caused me to inspect a copy of "The Spirit of the Laws" when I stumbled across it in a bookstore.

I am now half way through it and the background acquired from reading Gibbon brings it to life. It was relied on by Madison (Federalist No. 47) and is of interest for its historic detail and importance in the history of political (including ours) ideas.

It was first translated into English in 1750 but a new translation, Cambridge University Press, 1989, 1995 is the choice for the modern reader. It is well edited and richly repays the reader.

To me, Montesquieu has been a name only and has been badly neglected. I would hope that the new translation would make him accessible to a larger reading audience.


"Trajan was ambitious of fame; and as long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroyers than on their benefactors, the thirst of military glory will ever be the vice of the most exalted characters."



http://www.his.com/~z/gibbon.html