Wow, I can't believe I finished this whole audiobook in time - this super long 23 hr audiobook was due back tonight by midnight and even though Ive had it for awhile and been listening to it, it took a long long time. And this is just Volume one (of 6!).

To me, the "fall" of the Roman Empire can really be summed up in one or two words: Monothesism. Christianity.

18th century historian Edward Gibbon tries to detail the "fall" of the Roman Empire, which he takes 6 books to do (admittedly going through the Eastern Roman Empire until that is ended by the ruthless Ottoman invasion.)

This first volume covers most of the history of the traditional original Roman Empire, and is more a history of the empire, emperors and its expansions than a detailed analysis of why it fell. Gibbon spends a lot of time on the emperors, and not just the famous ones. Even the little known guys who ruled for just a few months will get a few pages. There is quite a lot of detail here and I won't pretend to have retained the vast majority of it by listening on audiobook - hence a purchase of a cheap copy of a summary.

Some of the customs, traditions, economy, architecture and daily life are talked about but less than I would have wanted or expected of a book if written today. Gibbon, however, is a traditional historian and he focus largely of on leaders and battles, unt the end chapters, when he turns in detail to discuss the rise of Christianity.

It was certainly interesting and I did learn a lot but likely less than if I were reading and able to give my full attention. But this is a massive tome of hard core history text so it might not be for everyone.

As I turned the last page of Volume I, I began to wonder how I would review this work. My reading experience was an undulating one – I enjoyed the work but at times I found it repetitious and a slog to get through. I was conflicted. What did keep me from placing the book into my DNF shelf was Gibbons’ prose. He is a gifted writer, and my vocabulary grew exponentially (such words as ignominious and pusillanimous are some fun ones!)

This was my first leap into the history of the Roman Empire. I have little knowledge of the foundational history other than what I’ve read in other books, although I am working on that! Gibbon begins with the rule of the Antonines, the time period that began around 98 CE with the rule of Antoninus Pius and his succeeding heir Marcus Aurelius. After the death of Marcus, his son Commodus took the throne, and this is regarded by Gibbon as the beginning of the end of the Empire.

Thereafter, the reader is introduced to a multitude of emperors, many being introduced to the sword shortly after having the diadem placed on their heads, their ephemeral reign being cut short by treachery or by the anger of the populace. This I found very interesting in the beginning but after about 300 pages I began to grow weary. As historian Arnold Toynbee (supposedly) once said, “History is one damn thing after another.” His witticisms breathed life into the history, and that’s what kept me on life support.

I find the Roman Empire fascinating so I will continue to look for other books on the subject. What will work best for me might be learning about it in chunks rather than in sweeping works such as Gibbon’s voluminous oeuvre. I haven't given up on him yet; I plan on starting Volume II at some point. If you enjoy great writing, then you will appreciate Gibbon.

3 stars for the content and 4 stars for the prose.

Very interesting so far. Of course, this is only volume 1 of 6.

This book is incredibly interesting, the subject fascinates me...however, I need to read this as an actual physical book, not the iBook version..my mistake!!

Fascinating. Particularly in light of the current political climate.

I loved Gibbon’s side comments.

There were many times while reading that it seemed that the words did not match the intended meaning. I'm not sure if that was a translation issue or something, but it was odd and off-putting. I didn't learn too much from this one for all of the effort expended reading it. At first, I thought the Christian piece at the end was going to be informative, but it was mostly rambling and biased.

Chapter I[return]Chapter II[return]Chapter III[return]Chapter IV[return]Chapter V[return]Chapter VI[return]Chapter VII[return]Chapter VIII[return]Chapter IX[return]Chapter X[return]Chapter XI

Simply amazing. Gibbon's erudition and writing skill shines on every line. I'm currently reading Volume II. While this unabridged edition isn't for everyone, if you're up to the challenge and time investment, it is well worth it.

Más de 250 años de historia, desde Marco Antonio (~ año 100) a la invasion de los hunos (~ año 375).

Este libro aunque se llama Vol 1, realmente contiene los volumenes 1 y 2 originales que fueron publicados en 1776 and 1781.

Este libro es bastante largo con más de 1000 páginas pero se hace muy ameno.
Es una larga sucesion de traiciones, asesinatos, guerras civiles, guerras externas, internas, politicas, conjuras familiares, etc. En un momento, la propia abuela del emperador se conjura para que le asesinen y poner a su primo.
Una especie de juego de tronos pero esto es historia autentica.

El lenguaje del libro es a la vez sencillo pero bello. Ameno y bien explicado

La unica pega que le encuentro son esos capitulos sobre el cristianismo que no mantienen el nivel de tension del resto del libro. Tambien parece que el ritmo se esta ralentizando. La mitad del libro es la explicación de los ultimos 75 años de este periodo mientras que la primera mitad explica los otros 200 años.

Very much of its time, this could do with an editor for modern readers.

This is definitely for people with a background in Classics, and some level of existing knowledge; this is also not for the faint of heart on the sheer length of it.