Items related to From Dawn to Decadence : 500 Years of Western Cultural...

From Dawn to Decadence : 500 Years of Western Cultural Life - Softcover

  • 4.13 out of 5 stars
    4,594 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780007115501: From Dawn to Decadence : 500 Years of Western Cultural Life

Synopsis

The bestselling (New York Times No. 3) history chronicling half a millennium of Western culture. From Dawn To Decadence is the French-American historian Jacques Barzun's great opus. It is the product of a lifetime of separate studies which he now sets down in one powerful narrative, interspersing his entertaining analysis of wars, philosophy, science, manners, sex, religion, morals, art, et al, from the Reformation to the present day, with biographical sketches of influential historical figures (including Luther, Charles V, Descartes, Bacon, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Cromwell, Peter the Great, Defoe, Swift, Rubens, Bach, Byron, Pascal, Florence Nightingale, James Joyce!) His positive conclusion is that the decadence of the current age is merely a watershed for a new age in which Western culture will again flourish. This is heavyweight history written with great wit and verve, comparable in scope with the Big Ideas and Big Themes history of Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, which was a huge bestseller that was first 'made' in the US, and Paul Johnson (The Birth of the Modern; Intellectuals; Twentieth Century Britain). With Barzun's lucid and easy style it is also a very accesible book which will be eagerly devoured by history and culture lovers alike.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review

In the last half-millennium, as the noted cultural critic and historian Jacques Barzun observes, great revolutions have swept the Western world. Each has brought profound change--for instance, the remaking of the commercial and social worlds wrought by the rise of Protestantism and by the decline of hereditary monarchies. And each, Barzun hints, is too little studied or appreciated today, in a time he does not hesitate to label as decadent.

To leaf through Barzun's sweeping, densely detailed but lightly written survey of the last 500 years is to ride a whirlwind of world-changing events. Barzun ponders, for instance, the tumultuous political climate of Renaissance Italy, which yielded mayhem and chaos, but also the work of Michelangelo and Leonardo--and, he adds, the scientific foundations for today's consumer culture of boom boxes and rollerblades. He considers the 16th-century varieties of religious experimentation that arose in the wake of Martin Luther's 95 theses, some of which led to the repression of individual personality, others of which might easily have come from the "Me Decade." Along the way, he offers a miniature history of the detective novel, defends Surrealism from its detractors, and derides the rise of professional sports, packing in a wealth of learned and often barbed asides.

Never shy of controversy, Barzun writes from a generally conservative position; he insists on the importance of moral values, celebrates the historical contributions of Christopher Columbus, and twits the academic practitioners of political correctness. Whether accepting of those views or not, even the most casual reader will find much that is new or little-explored in this attractive venture into cultural history. --Gregory McNamee

About the Author

Jacques Barzun was born in France in 1907 and moved to the US in 1920. After graduating from Columbia University he joined its faculty as Professor of History, becoming Dean of Faculties and Provost. The author of over thirty books he received the Gold Medal for Criticism from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, of which he was twice president.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherHarper Collins Pb
  • Publication date2001
  • ISBN 10 0007115504
  • ISBN 13 9780007115501
  • BindingPaperback
  • LanguageEnglish
  • Number of pages896
  • Rating
    • 4.13 out of 5 stars
      4,594 ratings by Goodreads

Buy Used

Condition: Very Good
May have limited writing in cover...
View this item

FREE shipping within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

Search results for From Dawn to Decadence : 500 Years of Western Cultural...

Stock Image

Jacques Barzun
Published by Harper Collins Pb, 2001
ISBN 10: 0007115504 ISBN 13: 9780007115501
Used Paperback

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 2.86. Seller Inventory # G0007115504I4N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 16.57
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Jacques Barzun
Published by Harper Collins Pb, 2001
ISBN 10: 0007115504 ISBN 13: 9780007115501
Used Paperback

Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 2.86. Seller Inventory # G0007115504I3N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 16.57
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Barzun, Jacques
Published by Harper Collins Pb, 2001
ISBN 10: 0007115504 ISBN 13: 9780007115501
Used Paperback

Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002803002

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 11.94
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 7.63
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 4 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Barzun, Jacques
Published by HarperCollins, 2001
ISBN 10: 0007115504 ISBN 13: 9780007115501
Used Paperback

Seller: Reuseabook, Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Notes. Pen or pencil notes in some parts of book, however this does not interfere with your use or reading. Highlighting on some pages of the book. Seller Inventory # CHL10413932

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 17.28
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 7.50
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Barzun, Jacques
ISBN 10: 0007115504 ISBN 13: 9780007115501
Used Softcover

Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP10398375

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 16.29
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 10.90
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Seller Image

Barzun, Jacques:
Published by London: Harper Collins, 2000
ISBN 10: 0007115504 ISBN 13: 9780007115501
Used Paperback

Seller: Plurabelle Books Ltd, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. xviii 877p large paperback, illustrated cover with gilt lettering, good condition, light wear to covers and edges, small bookplate to title page, light pencil marks to a few pages, generally very neat and bright, a good copy from the bookshelf of a Cambridge historian Language: English. Seller Inventory # 221334

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 22.46
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 10.90
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Seller Image

Barzun, Jacques
Published by HarperCollins, 2001
ISBN 10: 0007115504 ISBN 13: 9780007115501
Used Softcover

Seller: BBBooks, Poulton-Le-Fylde, United Kingdom

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Softcover. Condition: Very Good. No markings, annotations, or inscriptions. Faint dusting to the page block edges, with some further spare markings to the fore edge. Clean and tight cover, very minor rubbing only (priincipally to the corners), with some staining to the back bottom edges, both stains showing to the wrap verso (coffee, presumably). There is no creasing at all to the spine. Thus: structurally excellent, possibly unread, but evidently not having been shown the greatest solicitude. A very good reading or study copy (only). xviii, 877pp. Seller Inventory # 4859

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 22.39
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 18.67
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Seller Image

Jacques Barzun
ISBN 10: 0007115504 ISBN 13: 9780007115501
Used Paperback First Edition

Seller: Eaglestones, Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. First Thus. 876 pages. Excellent, clean and tightly bound copy. Previous owner's name inked on first page. Size: Approx 6" Wide and 9" Tall. Seller Inventory # 004069

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 20.00
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 23.21
From South Africa to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket