The Lessons of History

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A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant.

With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.

Our Top Reviews

Reviewer: Anastasia K
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Written in prose that’s music to my ears somehow
Review: This is one of the most unexpectedly beautifully written books I’ve read in years, though I may be biased. The author(s) found a way to present complex and interesting ideas and observations about history and the world and humanity in ways that I seldom see English language presented in. I would say that one must have a minimum decent background knowledge of world histroy in order to enjoy the book, because the content is rather a by-chapter summary of collections of historical events and their implications, rather than actually telling you any deep details of the historical events. For example, they mention lots of names of ancient civilizations and makes certain arguements about them, without any context, so if you’re not well versed in general history you might need to research outside the book (which like, who would bother to do that?). I didn’t find that to detract much from the book, but mention this as a word of caution. Each chapter actually made me stop every time it ended (the chapters are short, which is prefect for my short attention span lol) and reflect upon what I just read. The book, though presents complex ideas, is perfectly succinct and well worth the time it takes to finish. If you like history, know a good bit about it, and want to read something that gives you a few new neurons in the brain without a huge time commitment, go for it 🙂

Reviewer: Carl Brown
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Read it because
Review: Among the better historians the world has known (Medal of Freedom and Pulitzer honoree)..Durant is a passion that need not be left to old age to enjoy. First course in Western Civilization at USC introduced Durant to those of us that attended there (and other ).Durant deals, in this very readable book, with real history and various aspects of life that are revealed thru history.Among those are Morals, History, Biology, Race, Character, Religion, Economics, Socialism, Government, War, Growth and Decay, Progress (is it real?)Concepts and Ideas based on the historical background surrounding almost all key elements that Durant and his wife Ariel researched and wrote mssive tomes surrounding (The Story of Civilization – 10 volumes & perhaps 11,000 pages!!…Beginning in volume I (almost a summary of what is to come for 9 more)) will engage and open our world from before a time when mankind was still just off the savannas and wondering what was over the next hill, mountain, river and ocean.Very readable prose, engaging, humorous and playful in it’s dealings with human activity (Volume I sneaks up in so many ways…as in when we encounter the statement “When the Gods became useful they became numerous”Having gifted or loaned the first of Durant’s Story of Civilization it soon became apparent that there is a deep yearning for this depth of inquiry and explanation…Since have given this little book (Lessons of History) to many….old and young. Revealing, humorous, challenging, and rewarding….Lessons of History is such….coupled with Bertrand Russell’s The Conquest of Happiness….are Human Nature revealed … jcmb

Reviewer: JT
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An engaging
Review: A very comprehensive and wise take on the themes of history from expert historians.It reads like a short lecture series from adjunct professors. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive historical analysis of events but rather to stream historical anecdotes to reinforce a broad message from each chapter.It felt verbose at times, though you would have difficulty finding any work on history that isn’t. Some chapters were flowery with prose and might have instead included a bit more historical hyperlinks or anecdotes. These were refreshing and useful when included.Overall, it’s well worth the read and a refreshing “grand narrative” of history. It complements the many historical nonfiction works that focus on a narrow domain.

Reviewer: JAK
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A great read on the importance of history
Review: Many thoughtful and insightful lessons that our societies, communities, and individuals would do well to work with.History is a creation and record of our heritage, education, and civilization, and it must be learned and earned by each generation (Durant).

Reviewer: Kathi G.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Read and Reflect
Review: This is quite the book! Thought provoking and a quick read. Each chapter would present a history teacher with ideas for students to research and comment upon. History often repeats but it doesn’t have to, does it?

Reviewer: Namir Perez
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Broad but informative
Review: The book is good and touches a lot of historical points and facts across most major civilizations from thousands of years ago to modern-day America. Perhaps the biggest challenge about the book is the fact that remains in the shallow end of the pool, so to speak, never delving too much into any particular civilization in any particular subject. Overall, it feels and reads more like a sociology book.

Reviewer: Daphne sim
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I could read it again and again and again. Easy read, concise of information and made me travel through timeline of the world. I look forward to more books from the writer! Hard to get them in SG though.

Reviewer: マイケル黒岩
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: 米国マサチューセッツ州の著名な歴史学者、哲学者の William and Ariel Durant 夫妻の共著による「The Lessons of History」、英語のペーパーバック版は2010年に発売されている。この本がなぜ生まれたのか？夫妻はライフワークとして、人類5000年の歴史を俯瞰し、「The Story of Civilization 」（文明の物語　全10巻）を出版した。それによりビューリッツァー賞を受賞。歴史のみならず哲学にも深い洞察力を持つ夫妻のこの著作は、米国のみならず世界中の人々に読まれ、高い評価を得ている大作である。残念ながらこの「The Story of Civilization 」の邦訳版はどうも無い様で、Amazonで検索しても見当たらなかった（もし有ったら失礼！）。1、さて、この「The Story of Civilization 」は、全10巻と余りにも膨大なため、研究者や専門家はともかく、一般の人はまず読むことが難しい。そこで夫妻はその全10巻のエッセンスとも言うべき「重要なポイント」をピックアップし、人々に分かりやすく、13章からなるエッセイ風の文章にまとめたのが、この「The Lessons of History」（歴史の教訓）である。２、この本は、とてもコンパクトである。英語版は、ペーパーバックで出版されているが、Indexまで含めてわずか117ページである。つまり大作「The Story of Civilization 」（文明の物語)に記述された人類5000年の文明、歴史変遷のエッセンスを煮詰めて煮詰めて、凝縮し出来たものがすなわち「The Lessons of History（歴史の教訓）」なのである。３、夫妻の研究が一般的な歴史研究と異なっているのは、単に表層的に歴史の変遷を綴ったものでは無いということだ。例えて言うと、長い年月には地殻変動より地上の地形は徐々に変わって行く。新たな山脈が生まれたり、断層や噴火で川や湖が出来たり、地表の様相は変貌して行くが、それがどう変わって行くのかその表面的な変遷を調べるのではない。地表を動かしている地下の見えない部分、マグマの「エネルギーの正体」はいったい何なのか。歴史を動かしている根源は何なのかを、人類の5000年の歴史を通じて、その正体とそのメカニズムに迫るという極めて意欲的な研究であるからである。これを実証的に進めるということは気の遠くなるような膨大な作業を必要とし、深い知識に加え強靭な精神力が不可欠な大事業であるが、Durant夫妻は文字どおり自分たちの生涯をかけてライフワークとして取り組んだ。その「エッセンス」とでも言うべきものが「The Lessons of History」なのである。４、従って、事業家イーロン・マスクや世界最大のヘッジファンド創業者レイ・ダリオがこの本を読み、推薦するには理由がある。歴史を動かす「胎動の本質」が書かれているからだ。しかもコンパクトに。わかる人には「値千金」、わからない人には無価値の本なのだ。5、日本では「歴史の大局を見渡す」という題名で2017年に発売されている。邦訳版は176ページであるが、訳者の日本語訳がとても素晴らしい。原書の内容そのものが、10巻の大作を凝縮、圧縮、昇華させたものなので、一語一語とその文章表現にかなり深い意味が盛り込まれているのだが、それを損なうこと無く、的確に日本語化している。かなり力量のある翻訳者なのだろう。6、Amazonを見るとこの英語本の評価はものすごく高く、何と世界中からのレビュアー数約5000の内、なんと66%の人が⭐️５の評価だ。残念ながらこの本は、日本ではあまり知られていない様だ。日本語版の表題が「歴史の大局を見渡す」と異訳されている。また本の表装イメージと内容がマッチしていない（帯は良いが）。むしろ原題の「The Lessons of History 日本語版　」とした方が売れるのでは無いかと思われる。7、Durant夫妻が残してくれたこの洞察力に富む研究成果に、私たちが今日、容易にアクセスし享受出来るのは至福の限りだ。日本語版でも読めるが、英語版もペーパーバックでそれほど厚く無いので、高校生や大学生は夏休みなど時間のある時に読んでみることを薦める。ハラリのサピエンス全史とはまた違った切り口で、人類と歴史の本質に迫る珠玉の名著である。

Reviewer: Sammler
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ich wundere mich, dass ich so alt werden musste, bevor mir endlich jemand dieses “MUSS” empfohlen hat. Ich lese von Kindesbeinen an viel über Geschichte, und man muss normalerweise sehr viel lesen, um ein wenig zu verstehen. Die Gedankenfülle dieses Buches – auf so wenig Raum gestreckt -, und die Klarheit der Gedankenführung, veranlaßt mich zu behaupten, dass jeder dieses Buch in Betracht ziehen sollte, der sein Wahlrecht gerne verantwortungsvoll ausüben will und die Idee hat, dass es möglich ist, aus der Geschichte zu lernen.

Reviewer: Ricardo Ghneim
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Le livre est arrivé à l’heure sans aucun défaut

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Bello, istruttivo e piacevole da leggere. Adatto a tutti coloro che amano la storia e che siano curiosi di rivisitarla da un nuovo punto di vista

Price effective as of Apr 16, 2025 02:38:47 UTC

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