Arnold J. Toynbee was a British historian best known for his monumental work, 'A Study of History.' This vast undertaking examined the rise, development, and decay of civilizations. He posited history as a grand cycle of civilizations ascending and falling, rather than focusing on nation-states or ethnic groups. Toynbee's core analysis suggests that a civilization's well-being hinges on its capacity to successfully confront challenges. His profound insights offer a unique perspective on the dynamic forces driving civilizational progress and decline.
Will disaster ensue if it pursues its present course towards self-destruction and despoliation of the environment? While recognising that our survival is threatened by the imbalance between human immaturity and technological achievement, the message of this classic is that man-made evils have a man- made cure.
Toynbee's analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations has been acknowledged as an achievement without parallel in modern scholarship. This abridgement, while reducing the work to one-sixth of its original size, preserves its method, atmosphere, texture, and for the most part, the author's very words.
A new edition revised and abridged by the author and Jane Caplan.This one-volume 576-page edition of A STUDY OF HISTORY puts the essence of the great work into easily accessible and most attractive form. (The original totals more than 7,000 pages.) Moreover, as Dr. Toynbee's foreword makes clear, the new book is more than an abridgment of the original. He has extensively redrafted, revised, and updated his history, to take note of new historical events and discoveries and to include his own 'reconsiderations' of his concepts. The new edition is also the first to be illustrated. There are more than 500 historical pictures, many reproduced in color and all selected by Dr. Toynbee with the assistance of Jane Caplan, his collaborator on the project. Miss Caplan has written the excellent captions for the pictures, which are closely coordinated with the text. Here, in sum, is a brilliant history and great scholarly work, in wonderfully readable form.
Arnold Toynbee's analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations has been acknowledged as one of the great achievements of twentieth-century scholarship. D.C. Somervell's abridgement of this monumental work is a great achievement in its own right. While reducing the work to one sixth of its original size, he has succeeded in preserving its method and character. The first volume of the abridgement presents Toynbee's philosophy of history as it appears in the first six volumes of the original work. This volume includes the Introduction; The Geneses of Civilizations; The Growth of Civilizations; The Breakdowns of Civilizations; and The Disintegrations of Civilizations. The second volume comprises volumes 7-10 of the original, including Universal States; Universal Churches; Heroic Ages; Contacts Between Civilizations in Space; Contacts Between Civilizations in Time; Law and Freedom in History; The Prospects of the Western Civilization; and Conclusion.
The book is a facsimile reprint of a rare antiquarian work, reflecting its historical significance. While it maintains the original content, it may include imperfections like marks, notations, and flawed pages due to its age. This edition aims to preserve and promote the cultural importance of literature, offering readers an affordable and high-quality version that stays true to the original text.
