Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) was inspired to write The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire while
on a trip to Rome in 1764. It was completed in 1788.
Womersley, David :
David Womersley edited the three-volume Penguin Classics edition of The History of the Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire
Summary
In the greatest work of history in the English language, Edward Gibbon compresses thirteen turbulent centuries
into a gripping epic narrative. It is history in the grand eighteenth-century manner, a well-researched drama charged
with insight, irony, and incisive character analysis. In elegant prose, Gibbon presents both the broad pattern
of events and the significant revealing detail. He delves into religion, politics, sexuality, and social mores
with equal authority and aplomb. While subsequent research revealed minor factual errors about the early Empire,
Gibbon's bold vision, witty descriptions of a vast cast of characters, and readiness to display his own beliefs
and prejudices result in an astonishing work of history and literature, at once powerfully intelligent and enormously
entertaining.
Based on David Womersley's definitive three-volume Penguin Classics edition of The Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire, this abridgement contains complete chapters from all three volumes, linked by extended bridging passages,
vividly capture the style, the argument, and the architecture of the whole work.
