- Category: Books » History Books » Europe - Ireland
- Format: Paperback Learn more about the Paperback format using Tower WIKI.
- Publisher: Random House Inc
- ISBN: 0385418493
- WAPI (Tower ID): 100116029
- Release Date: March 1, 1996
- Average Customer Review: There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!
- Tower.com Sales Rank: #52469 in Books (See Top 100 Books Bestsellers)
- #2436 in History Books (See Top 100 History Books Bestsellers)
- #18 in Europe - Ireland (See Top 100 Europe - Ireland Bestsellers)
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Product DescriptionMore Books by Thomas Cahill (Author)Run a Quick Search on "How the Irish Saved Civilization" by Thomas Cahill to Browse Related Products:Browse more products related to "How the Irish Saved Civilization"Browse more products related to "Thomas Cahill"Review"Mr. Cahill is a man of learning himself, and his writing is in the great Irish tradition he describes; lyrical, playful, penetrating and serious, but never too serious....Mr. Cahill's book will remain an entirely engaging, delectable voyage into the distant past, a small treasure." "...he has written a bracing book, brimming with freewheeling learning and unbridled enthusiasm. Professional historians might occasionally blanch at his exuberance, but his readers will revel in his deft and casual storytelling." "Cahill's lively prose breathes life into a 1,600-year-old history." "A lovely and engrossing tale....Graceful and instructive." Publisher's noteFrom the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne - the "dark ages" - learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of western civilization - from the Greek and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works - would have been utterly lost were it not for the holy men and women of unconquered Ireland. In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars", the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the west's written treasures. With the return of stability in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning. Thus the Irish not only were conservators of civilization, but became shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on western culture. The perfect St. Patricks Day gift, and a book in the best tradition of popular history -- the untold story of Irelands role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe. Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patricks Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars" -- and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians. In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost -- they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task. As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated. In the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, How The Irish Saved Civilization reconstructs an era that few know about but which is central to understanding our past and our cultural heritage. But it conveys its knowledge with a winking wit that aptly captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilization. AnnotationThe author's graceful mastery of both prose and history combine to express both the voice and content of Irish culture. Cahill traces Ireland's pivotal role in the preservation and transmission of the intellectual legacy of the West, from the fall of Rome under the barbarian invasions that brought the Dark Ages to the rise of Medieval Europe which heralded its re-ascendance. In constructing the narrative that explains how Ireland became "the isle of saints and scholars", the author manages to capture the majestic scope of his subject in the plaintive and yet rollicking rhythms which evoke both the liveliness of Irish culture and its contribution to the era which was to give rise to the Renaissance. If You Enjoy "How the Irish Saved Civilization (Paperback)", May We Also Recommend:
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