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Heroes of History
The late, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of The Story of Civilization celebrates the lives, ideas, and accomplishments of the men and women who transformed human civilization, spanning thousands of years of human history, from ancient times to the eighteenth century.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2001
209 people are currently reading
1617 people want to read
About the author
Will Durant
845 books3,004 followersWilliam James Durant was a prolific American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for the 11-volume The Story of Civilization, written in collaboration with his wife Ariel and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for his book, The Story of Philosophy, written in 1926, which was considered "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy."
They were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1967 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.
They were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1967 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
September 6, 2021
خیلی دوست داشتم واسش ریویو بنویسم ولی به ۲ دلیل نمی‌توونم:
۱- حدود یکسال پیش خووندمش
۲-کلی یادداشت نوشتم که همشون پریدند.
اما میدونم خووندنش برای کسی که نمیخواد کتابهای طولانی تاریخی بخوونه، خیلی خوبه.
من عاشق تاریخم و این کتاب هم دوست داشتم.
می‌توونید از روی طاقچه بخوونید.
۱- حدود یکسال پیش خووندمش
۲-کلی یادداشت نوشتم که همشون پریدند.
اما میدونم خووندنش برای کسی که نمیخواد کتابهای طولانی تاریخی بخوونه، خیلی خوبه.
من عاشق تاریخم و این کتاب هم دوست داشتم.
می‌توونید از روی طاقچه بخوونید.
August 12, 2016
This is pared down from he & his wife's 11 volume set of The Story of Civilization. He/they did several other books & essays along these lines, too. This makes themes & trends of history & his view of them much more accessible. I was very impressed by some of his turns of phrase from the outset & this edition is very well narrated by Grover Gardner, one of my favorites.
Decades ago, I tried to read some of the full set & quickly lost interest. It was just too much for a tyro like myself, especially at the time. Even pared down, this is mind numbing in scope, but his writing is concise & illuminating. He studies history in an attempt to find out what man is & starts way back when with Confucius, India & Egypt, although he concentrates on Western civilization after that.
Here's his Wikipedia bio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Du...
His biography is important when reading any of his books since he's not shy about putting his own philosophy into his interpretation of historical events. He had a Christian education (Jesuit run school early on), went to seminary, & was planning to be a priest at one time, but wound up turning more to philosophy & history. While there is a Christian & religious bias running through his work, it's not heavy-handed in the first half.
He puts all religion in the category of supernatural & doesn't believe in the Bible literally. In fact, he often points out various issues with factual data & likely causes for it. He seems to embrace the ideal of Confucius that all good of a man comes from sincerity & honesty to himself first which he then spreads out to the family & beyond. He sees many religions as fostering these morals & that as their primary purpose. Somehow he manages to see this in Christianity even as he discusses how rampant greed, power-grabbing, & hypocrisy tore Europe apart.
(Notice I wrote 'man' & that 'he then spreads'. Durant seems to hold the authority of the man of the family over the family as one of the cornerstones of civilization. This is not an unreasonable attitude on his part given the time he lived, but it, like the Christian religion, is fundamental to his interpretations.)
In this book, he concentrates on those individuals who were important to the politics & philosophies of civilization. This often leads to how their actions & attitudes fostered &/or were a product of the rise & fall of their civilizations in cycles. Civilizations start with many restrictions, but a unity of purpose (generally survival), until they achieve a certain level of success. That success often leads to more equality & education. New ideas, wealth, & a surge in the arts & science occur as it draws in people. Individualism creeps in with more democracy, religion becomes less important, & the civilization falls into chaos. (It's a scary thought since we seem to be in just such a position at this time.) The chaos is generally checked by a tyranny which can lead either to horror or even greater heights, depending on the efficacy of the tyrant's policies & their benevolence. (Some of the heights of civilization were enjoyed under smart, benevolent tyrants.)
He sees the main cause of societal decay as the corruption of morals on every level from the individual on up, mostly due to the lack of religion. He has a good point, but I don't think he takes it quite far enough since he seems to see religion as the only source of a moral structure & he never mentions the idea of a unity of purpose in a society beyond the early given - survival. This is a conundrum since typically religion has provided both, but as he points out, this is based on the fear of & adherence to a supernatural ideal which tends to lose its hold as the society becomes educated.
That's the first half of the book, through the heights of Rome, & it was very good. I'd give it 4 stars, but about halfway through, he concentrated fully on on artists & Christianity. Both are important, but I don't think he ever said "Dark Ages". Although he does refer to the sciences falling below pre-Roman & Egyptian levels, he never even mentions Galileo or Marco Polo, barely mentions Copernicus, Columbus, Gutenberg, or any other scientist or adventurer. It's as if the sciences, printing, & opening of the New World had no effect on Europe or its policies. He's mentioned Muslims & Suleiman only as peripheral players. Seriously?
He mentioned Dante & even quoted a bit from The Divine Comedy, but doesn't mention how it spit in the face of the Papacy & Florentine politics nor how it made Italian a language to be reckoned with in the arts. And then he goes over the Papacy several times from several different angles until I was totally bored with it. About 1400-1650 must have taken up at least 1/4 of the book & concentrated completely on the church. He finally got up to Martin Luther, but still slipped back & forth through time among the legacies of the Catholic church & its popes basically skimming over the horrific wars. He never really captured the horror inflicted by the church, its corruptions, & schisms at all, either. He mentions the Inquisition, tithes, wars, Indulgences, & concubines, but all from a very high level. There was even a note of contempt for the peasants at times.
From the book description, he had finished everything except the last 10% or so which discussed Shakespeare & Bacon. His interpretations of the former weren't really germane nor am I sure how accurate they are. Some clashed with other things I've read, but I'm not well enough informed nor interested enough to have an opinion. Bacon was handled a bit better, but Elizabeth was simply a backdrop to their stories & then he stops abruptly.
I can highly recommend the first half of this book. It at least makes some attempt at handling world history & contains some very interesting themes. The last half is very incomplete, biased, & tedious. Read it if you want an apologist view of the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages.
Decades ago, I tried to read some of the full set & quickly lost interest. It was just too much for a tyro like myself, especially at the time. Even pared down, this is mind numbing in scope, but his writing is concise & illuminating. He studies history in an attempt to find out what man is & starts way back when with Confucius, India & Egypt, although he concentrates on Western civilization after that.
Here's his Wikipedia bio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Du...
His biography is important when reading any of his books since he's not shy about putting his own philosophy into his interpretation of historical events. He had a Christian education (Jesuit run school early on), went to seminary, & was planning to be a priest at one time, but wound up turning more to philosophy & history. While there is a Christian & religious bias running through his work, it's not heavy-handed in the first half.
He puts all religion in the category of supernatural & doesn't believe in the Bible literally. In fact, he often points out various issues with factual data & likely causes for it. He seems to embrace the ideal of Confucius that all good of a man comes from sincerity & honesty to himself first which he then spreads out to the family & beyond. He sees many religions as fostering these morals & that as their primary purpose. Somehow he manages to see this in Christianity even as he discusses how rampant greed, power-grabbing, & hypocrisy tore Europe apart.
(Notice I wrote 'man' & that 'he then spreads'. Durant seems to hold the authority of the man of the family over the family as one of the cornerstones of civilization. This is not an unreasonable attitude on his part given the time he lived, but it, like the Christian religion, is fundamental to his interpretations.)
In this book, he concentrates on those individuals who were important to the politics & philosophies of civilization. This often leads to how their actions & attitudes fostered &/or were a product of the rise & fall of their civilizations in cycles. Civilizations start with many restrictions, but a unity of purpose (generally survival), until they achieve a certain level of success. That success often leads to more equality & education. New ideas, wealth, & a surge in the arts & science occur as it draws in people. Individualism creeps in with more democracy, religion becomes less important, & the civilization falls into chaos. (It's a scary thought since we seem to be in just such a position at this time.) The chaos is generally checked by a tyranny which can lead either to horror or even greater heights, depending on the efficacy of the tyrant's policies & their benevolence. (Some of the heights of civilization were enjoyed under smart, benevolent tyrants.)
He sees the main cause of societal decay as the corruption of morals on every level from the individual on up, mostly due to the lack of religion. He has a good point, but I don't think he takes it quite far enough since he seems to see religion as the only source of a moral structure & he never mentions the idea of a unity of purpose in a society beyond the early given - survival. This is a conundrum since typically religion has provided both, but as he points out, this is based on the fear of & adherence to a supernatural ideal which tends to lose its hold as the society becomes educated.
That's the first half of the book, through the heights of Rome, & it was very good. I'd give it 4 stars, but about halfway through, he concentrated fully on on artists & Christianity. Both are important, but I don't think he ever said "Dark Ages". Although he does refer to the sciences falling below pre-Roman & Egyptian levels, he never even mentions Galileo or Marco Polo, barely mentions Copernicus, Columbus, Gutenberg, or any other scientist or adventurer. It's as if the sciences, printing, & opening of the New World had no effect on Europe or its policies. He's mentioned Muslims & Suleiman only as peripheral players. Seriously?
He mentioned Dante & even quoted a bit from The Divine Comedy, but doesn't mention how it spit in the face of the Papacy & Florentine politics nor how it made Italian a language to be reckoned with in the arts. And then he goes over the Papacy several times from several different angles until I was totally bored with it. About 1400-1650 must have taken up at least 1/4 of the book & concentrated completely on the church. He finally got up to Martin Luther, but still slipped back & forth through time among the legacies of the Catholic church & its popes basically skimming over the horrific wars. He never really captured the horror inflicted by the church, its corruptions, & schisms at all, either. He mentions the Inquisition, tithes, wars, Indulgences, & concubines, but all from a very high level. There was even a note of contempt for the peasants at times.
From the book description, he had finished everything except the last 10% or so which discussed Shakespeare & Bacon. His interpretations of the former weren't really germane nor am I sure how accurate they are. Some clashed with other things I've read, but I'm not well enough informed nor interested enough to have an opinion. Bacon was handled a bit better, but Elizabeth was simply a backdrop to their stories & then he stops abruptly.
I can highly recommend the first half of this book. It at least makes some attempt at handling world history & contains some very interesting themes. The last half is very incomplete, biased, & tedious. Read it if you want an apologist view of the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages.
September 25, 2016
Durant took up the task of summarizing his epic eleven volume summarization of history in the interests of the average reader whose attention span grew shorter with the advent, development and cultivation of mass media. Despite this intense condensation to perhaps 3% of its original size, the book does not strain the reader with an uncooperative density of information.
Durant has succeeded in presenting not just the facts but rather the tapestry of knowledge, untainted by his passion and emotion when pulling together multitudes of narratives into a coherent story. There is synthesis of a mind-boggling number of events and facts, opinions and judgments. Durant does all the hard work for you while leaving you space to decide what you want to feel about the matter.
The author sticks to his promise of narrating the story of man via its heroes, easing the consumption of the uncompromised complexity of the ages, intelligently carrying most of history in the CONTEXTS of the stories of men. Focus is primarily on the interaction of the human and non-human entities. The fluidity of these entities is beautifully captured as he traces them through the chapters, recalls earlier references and makes comparisons as if to say that history repeats itself, but only in graduations. He zooms out and zooms in with practiced ease and lends to the book a variety of dimensions if not considerations.
Caution should be practiced in reading the book, since like any other passionate author, his emotions carry biases, even if admirably checked. He is frank with his favorites throughout history and does not hesitate to share awe or disgust, in measured terms. Philosophy is drawn out from acts of nations and men, reaffirming his claim of being a philospher that writes history. Personally, these features add to the narration the verve that does more good than bad.
The book suffers in grace and rhythm, perhaps owing to the order of magnitude condensation of facts. One feels that the length of the book disallowed the author digressions that would have better carried his spirit if not his purpose. There is omission: he discusses the Medieval period in a lopsided manner, almost completely ignoring the Islamic Golden Age, the New World, the "Dark" part of Dark Ages, giving up the space for a zoomed in commentary of the Church's role in the politics of Europe.
All in all, the book seems to be a demonstration of the 80/20 rule and leaves the reader with a much more intimate FEEL for the history of the world. It is difficult to like this book and not ache to read the eleven volumes of Story of Civilization.
Durant has succeeded in presenting not just the facts but rather the tapestry of knowledge, untainted by his passion and emotion when pulling together multitudes of narratives into a coherent story. There is synthesis of a mind-boggling number of events and facts, opinions and judgments. Durant does all the hard work for you while leaving you space to decide what you want to feel about the matter.
The author sticks to his promise of narrating the story of man via its heroes, easing the consumption of the uncompromised complexity of the ages, intelligently carrying most of history in the CONTEXTS of the stories of men. Focus is primarily on the interaction of the human and non-human entities. The fluidity of these entities is beautifully captured as he traces them through the chapters, recalls earlier references and makes comparisons as if to say that history repeats itself, but only in graduations. He zooms out and zooms in with practiced ease and lends to the book a variety of dimensions if not considerations.
Caution should be practiced in reading the book, since like any other passionate author, his emotions carry biases, even if admirably checked. He is frank with his favorites throughout history and does not hesitate to share awe or disgust, in measured terms. Philosophy is drawn out from acts of nations and men, reaffirming his claim of being a philospher that writes history. Personally, these features add to the narration the verve that does more good than bad.
The book suffers in grace and rhythm, perhaps owing to the order of magnitude condensation of facts. One feels that the length of the book disallowed the author digressions that would have better carried his spirit if not his purpose. There is omission: he discusses the Medieval period in a lopsided manner, almost completely ignoring the Islamic Golden Age, the New World, the "Dark" part of Dark Ages, giving up the space for a zoomed in commentary of the Church's role in the politics of Europe.
All in all, the book seems to be a demonstration of the 80/20 rule and leaves the reader with a much more intimate FEEL for the history of the world. It is difficult to like this book and not ache to read the eleven volumes of Story of Civilization.
January 30, 2011
The well-known author of the last century, Will Durant, died in 1981. This manuscript was found only a year ago practically in its completed form. It is a treasure of the literary world. Durant’s oeuvre during his lifetime was an eleven-volume series entitled The Story of Civilization, where he focused on an age in each book and gave history lesson that had never really been given before with this Herculean collection.
The result was a most unique series which had the unintended effect of appearing too daunting to average readers with its great size. So in the seventies Durant began working on a single word that would condense the eleven volumes into one book, with twenty-two chapters on specific ages and people in the history of civilization. While he was writing chapter twenty-two, he died shortly after the death of his wife. The manuscript disappeared and was not discovered until 2000. Heroes of History is a book with a hundred history classes in just 350 pages, a gem that any history buff should own.
Originally published on May 13th 2002.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
The result was a most unique series which had the unintended effect of appearing too daunting to average readers with its great size. So in the seventies Durant began working on a single word that would condense the eleven volumes into one book, with twenty-two chapters on specific ages and people in the history of civilization. While he was writing chapter twenty-two, he died shortly after the death of his wife. The manuscript disappeared and was not discovered until 2000. Heroes of History is a book with a hundred history classes in just 350 pages, a gem that any history buff should own.
Originally published on May 13th 2002.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
May 29, 2014
A book to treasure.. It was a wonderful experience,reading it.. Not too much beating around the bush,not too brief,this book describes just those things that influenced the history of mankind in a big way. It is more like a general reader's handbook of world history. The personal touch in the writing style,rather than the dull descriptive way of writing,adds to the charm,giving one a feel of getting personally acquainted with most of the personalities described in the book..
But at certain places I felt that he was becoming too Christian in his approach. And that's the only thing I felt uncomfortable about this book.. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
But at certain places I felt that he was becoming too Christian in his approach. And that's the only thing I felt uncomfortable about this book.. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
June 24, 2023
Đây là một tuyệt phẩm. Thật sự đã thức tỉnh tôi nhiều điều khi đọc hết nó.
October 23, 2011
أوهمني الكاتب في البداية بأنه سيسرد تاريخ الأمم التي سادت كوكب الأرض فابتدأ بكنفوشيوس في الصين
ثم بوذا في الهند
ثم الفراعنة وأهراماتهم
كل هذا في أول 50 صفحة من الكتاب
ثم دخل أوربا ولم يخرج منها!!! ابتدأ باليونان ثم الرومان ثم المسيحية
أغضبني تجاهله للحضارة الإسلامية فهذا الكتاب هو ملخص لقصة الحضارة وعدم إدراجه لحضارة المسلمين يعني أنه لم يعترف بأن لهم دور في قصة الحضارة
صدمني تاريخ أوربا المليء بالجرائم وقمع الثورات بشكل وحشي وقتل المدنيين عند دخول المدن .. والإعدام على الخازوق والحرق تكررت بشكل كبير
الكتاب يركز بشكل كبير على الفن والرسامين والنحاتين وهو ما أفقدني التشويق لقراءة الكتاب
ثم بوذا في الهند
ثم الفراعنة وأهراماتهم
كل هذا في أول 50 صفحة من الكتاب
ثم دخل أوربا ولم يخرج منها!!! ابتدأ باليونان ثم الرومان ثم المسيحية
أغضبني تجاهله للحضارة الإسلامية فهذا الكتاب هو ملخص لقصة الحضارة وعدم إدراجه لحضارة المسلمين يعني أنه لم يعترف بأن لهم دور في قصة الحضارة
صدمني تاريخ أوربا المليء بالجرائم وقمع الثورات بشكل وحشي وقتل المدنيين عند دخول المدن .. والإعدام على الخازوق والحرق تكررت بشكل كبير
الكتاب يركز بشكل كبير على الفن والرسامين والنحاتين وهو ما أفقدني التشويق لقراءة الكتاب
January 17, 2023
This book seems to concentrate on personalities from antiquity until the 16th century. I was expecting it to continue into the 20th century. It also seemed to concentrate on people with religious significance.
February 6, 2021
Lives and ideas from the dawn of civilization to the beginning of the modern world.
July 1, 2023
"Lịch sử không lặp lại, nhưng nó có gieo vần" - Mark Twain.
April 12, 2016
Well, to me this was a way to try something else for a while, something other than just fiction and literature. So, I said why not go back to learn more history, as I am also a big fan of history and I do believe that we have so much to learn from what ever happened in the past, so we can be better prepared for what may happen in the near future.
This is a very, very compressed version of the history of civilization and religion, but I would stress a lot the fact it is an extremely compressed version - there is a quick review of what happened over the years in history, but many, many events are left untouched or unmentioned.
It is educative and we all can learn something from this book, but in my opinion, it is not to be taken as a full comprehensive version, as it is not.
I would categorize it as a pleasant review and a quick refresh of some of the most significant events and heroes in the history. In my opinion, it is not however something to be used as a unique reference, as it lacks significant events.
This is a very, very compressed version of the history of civilization and religion, but I would stress a lot the fact it is an extremely compressed version - there is a quick review of what happened over the years in history, but many, many events are left untouched or unmentioned.
It is educative and we all can learn something from this book, but in my opinion, it is not to be taken as a full comprehensive version, as it is not.
I would categorize it as a pleasant review and a quick refresh of some of the most significant events and heroes in the history. In my opinion, it is not however something to be used as a unique reference, as it lacks significant events.
November 10, 2020
کتاب را دورانت در سال‌های آخرش نوشته و گویی پیرمردی دانا دارد برای نوه‌هایش قصه می‌گوید. درست است که پیرمرد نویسنده اثری سترگ به نام تاریخ تمدن است اما دلیل نمی‌شود که این کتاب آخرش قصه نباشد. کتاب فاقد عمق و نگاه تحلیلی و سرشار از قضاوت‌های شخصی و علایق پیرمرد است. بخش اعظم کتاب به قرون وسطی و رنسانس مربوط است که البته به آن‌ها هم از زاویه دید پیرمرد به صورت قصه‌های قهرمان محور نگاه شده نه یک اجتماع پیچیده و درهم تنیده.
و کیست که نداند تاریخ را قهرمان‌ها نساخته‌اند جز این پیرمرد!!!
و کیست که نداند تاریخ را قهرمان‌ها نساخته‌اند جز این پیرمرد!!!
April 30, 2011
I've been absurdly busy lately, but with little listening here and a little there, I was able to finish this audiobook. I think the title in misleading. Its a brief history of 1,000s of years crammed into 350 pages. Durant spent most of his time writing about Rome, Greece, Jesus, church history, the renaissances, Popes, the crusades, the reformation and plenty of other tragedies.
July 29, 2008
Wonderful book. Its my first time reading Will Durrant and I am very impressed. He walks you through history with such familiarity you'd think he'd lived through it all. The book reads like a conversation rather than a lecture.
March 25, 2016
I am a big fan of the Durant's writing. Another wonderful book.
June 15, 2022
[HEROES OF HISTORY - WILL DURANT]
Mình bắt đầu đọc quyển "Heroes of History" cách đây 1 năm. Đối với mình quyển sách này không hề khó đọc nhưng do có nhiều việc bận rộn nên mình đọc khá chậm và ngắt quãng theo từng chương. Quyển sách là một bản mô tả sơ lược nhưng vẫn đảm bảo một lượng lớn thông tin về lịch sử mà tác giả muốn truyền đạt. Bằng giọng kể đầy dí dỏm nhưng vẫn rất triết học và nhân văn, lịch sử được Durant kể lại vô cùng sống động thông qua những vị anh hùng, những người sinh ra để thay đổi cả một thời đại. Ông không thiên vị hay chỉ trích bất kì ai mà chỉ đóng vai trò một người hát rong rồi truyền lại những "câu hát" sinh động về những cuộc chiến, về tôn giáo và chính sách "từ cổ đại đến buổi bình minh của hiện đại". Lịch sử của Durant không phải là những con số về ngày tháng mà được bắt đầu từ những câu hỏi vì sao rồi đưa đến những sự kiện và dấu ấn đậm nét của con người thời bấy giờ. Từ đó, chúng ta hiểu được rằng cuộc sống hiện tại là quả ngọt của những người đi trước đã mãi mê vun trồng và rút ra được nhiều bài học dẫu cũ nhưng vẫn có giá trị trường tồn với thời gian.
Mình sẽ không tiếc lời khen cho Durant nhưng quyển sách này vẫn có một vài điểm trừ. Durant và vợ đã viết thêm bộ sách 11 quyển "The Story of Civilization" về nền văn minh của nhân loại cho đến khi cả hai người qua đời song vẫn còn dở dang quyển thứ 12. Điều đó cũng đủ để chúng ta hiểu, chỉ bằng 1 quyển sách "Heroes of History" là không thể đủ để tác giả kể hết về toàn bộ lịch sử. Vì vậy, ông đã lược bỏ khá nhiều chi tiết quan trọng trong sự chuyển tiếp của dòng thời gian và điều đó có thể gây khó hiểu nếu bạn là hoàn toàn là người mới đối với lịch sử. Đồng thời, có một số chương ông đã thêm một lượng lớn nhân vật mới dẫu không có sự giới thiệu từ trước khiến việt đọc có thể hơi rối rắm. Ngoài ra, mình nghĩ chất lượng bản dịch ở mức ổn nhưng vẫn có những trang khiến mình phải đọc lại bản gốc để hiểu ý muốn truyền đạt của tác giả.
Dù vậy, mình nghĩ đây là một quyển sách xứng đáng được trân trọng và nghiền ngẫm, đặt biệt đối với những ai yêu thích và muốn tìm hiểu về lịch sử.
061522,
NTTT.
Mình bắt đầu đọc quyển "Heroes of History" cách đây 1 năm. Đối với mình quyển sách này không hề khó đọc nhưng do có nhiều việc bận rộn nên mình đọc khá chậm và ngắt quãng theo từng chương. Quyển sách là một bản mô tả sơ lược nhưng vẫn đảm bảo một lượng lớn thông tin về lịch sử mà tác giả muốn truyền đạt. Bằng giọng kể đầy dí dỏm nhưng vẫn rất triết học và nhân văn, lịch sử được Durant kể lại vô cùng sống động thông qua những vị anh hùng, những người sinh ra để thay đổi cả một thời đại. Ông không thiên vị hay chỉ trích bất kì ai mà chỉ đóng vai trò một người hát rong rồi truyền lại những "câu hát" sinh động về những cuộc chiến, về tôn giáo và chính sách "từ cổ đại đến buổi bình minh của hiện đại". Lịch sử của Durant không phải là những con số về ngày tháng mà được bắt đầu từ những câu hỏi vì sao rồi đưa đến những sự kiện và dấu ấn đậm nét của con người thời bấy giờ. Từ đó, chúng ta hiểu được rằng cuộc sống hiện tại là quả ngọt của những người đi trước đã mãi mê vun trồng và rút ra được nhiều bài học dẫu cũ nhưng vẫn có giá trị trường tồn với thời gian.
Mình sẽ không tiếc lời khen cho Durant nhưng quyển sách này vẫn có một vài điểm trừ. Durant và vợ đã viết thêm bộ sách 11 quyển "The Story of Civilization" về nền văn minh của nhân loại cho đến khi cả hai người qua đời song vẫn còn dở dang quyển thứ 12. Điều đó cũng đủ để chúng ta hiểu, chỉ bằng 1 quyển sách "Heroes of History" là không thể đủ để tác giả kể hết về toàn bộ lịch sử. Vì vậy, ông đã lược bỏ khá nhiều chi tiết quan trọng trong sự chuyển tiếp của dòng thời gian và điều đó có thể gây khó hiểu nếu bạn là hoàn toàn là người mới đối với lịch sử. Đồng thời, có một số chương ông đã thêm một lượng lớn nhân vật mới dẫu không có sự giới thiệu từ trước khiến việt đọc có thể hơi rối rắm. Ngoài ra, mình nghĩ chất lượng bản dịch ở mức ổn nhưng vẫn có những trang khiến mình phải đọc lại bản gốc để hiểu ý muốn truyền đạt của tác giả.
Dù vậy, mình nghĩ đây là một quyển sách xứng đáng được trân trọng và nghiền ngẫm, đặt biệt đối với những ai yêu thích và muốn tìm hiểu về lịch sử.
061522,
NTTT.
August 20, 2021
Không quá xuất sắc nếu nhìn một cách toàn diện từ đầu đến cuối nhưng chắc chắn là một cuốn sách đáng để bỏ thời gian ra đọc nếu như bạn:
1. Hứng thú với lịch sử và tiến trình phát triển của các nền văn minh nói chung.
2. Tò mò về dù chỉ là 1 giai đoạn nhất định của lịch sử (vd: Đế chế La Mã, thời kỳ Phục Hưng, thời kỳ suy đồi của Giáo hội Rome).
3. Quan tâm tới các góc nhìn và phản ứng của từng tầng lớp xã hội trong các giai đoạn khác nhau thuộc vòng đời hoàn chỉnh của một nền văn minh từ khi nở rộ tới khi sụp đổ.
Tuy nhiên, mình tin là trước khi đọc cuốn sách này thì người đọc cũng nên trang bị một vốn kiến thức nền sẵn có về các nền văn minh khác nhau cũng như những nhân vật lịch sử nổi tiếng nhất của các thời kỳ (không cần chi tiết đôi khi chỉ là tên, sự kiện tham gia, giai đoạn và đóng góp chung của họ), để tránh trường hợp bị ngộp thông tin bởi đây là một cuốn lược sử nên các vấn đề không được đi vào quá sâu nhưng sẽ luôn trong trạng thái cố gắng bao trùm được nhiều khía cạnh nhất có thể với số lượng tên riêng khó đếm xuể.
1. Hứng thú với lịch sử và tiến trình phát triển của các nền văn minh nói chung.
2. Tò mò về dù chỉ là 1 giai đoạn nhất định của lịch sử (vd: Đế chế La Mã, thời kỳ Phục Hưng, thời kỳ suy đồi của Giáo hội Rome).
3. Quan tâm tới các góc nhìn và phản ứng của từng tầng lớp xã hội trong các giai đoạn khác nhau thuộc vòng đời hoàn chỉnh của một nền văn minh từ khi nở rộ tới khi sụp đổ.
Tuy nhiên, mình tin là trước khi đọc cuốn sách này thì người đọc cũng nên trang bị một vốn kiến thức nền sẵn có về các nền văn minh khác nhau cũng như những nhân vật lịch sử nổi tiếng nhất của các thời kỳ (không cần chi tiết đôi khi chỉ là tên, sự kiện tham gia, giai đoạn và đóng góp chung của họ), để tránh trường hợp bị ngộp thông tin bởi đây là một cuốn lược sử nên các vấn đề không được đi vào quá sâu nhưng sẽ luôn trong trạng thái cố gắng bao trùm được nhiều khía cạnh nhất có thể với số lượng tên riêng khó đếm xuể.
November 14, 2021
This is an easy to read brief survey of western civilization (up to the Age of Elizabeth I). I enjoyed how Durant uses people (poets, philosophers, artists, statesmen) who made an impact for good or bad to compose this history. Besides describing their achievements, Durant also tells why civilizations rise and fall.
Durant’s commentary, some of which readers may find debatable, is thoughtful and clear.
Durant’s commentary, some of which readers may find debatable, is thoughtful and clear.
April 19, 2024
I really wanted to give this book a chance, but gave up after 100 pages. This book was an unfinished work published posthumously which proved to be a major mistake. The book isn't well organized, the insights that the author shares are historically questionable, and the political, artistic, and religious biases of the author come through over and over.
October 3, 2020
As a short version of the civilization series, it has good info although lacks of spaceous details so wity written on the full version
December 31, 2024
It’s pretty crazy how Will Durant wrote this book in his 90s and it’s still some of the best prose in non-fiction. I kneel to the Durants.
May 26, 2017
This review is entirely my fault for picking the wrong book. It's just that I am not a fan of old school history. I should have picked a more contemporary book.
February 11, 2024
I prefer Gombrich's A Little History of the World. I wonder what was happening outside of the Western world. Were there no "heroes" there besides Confucius, the Upanishads, and ancient Egyptians?
June 18, 2025
Riveting histories communicated concisely with flourishes of wit and rich perspective by an unparalleled scholar and storyteller. Highest recommendations!
September 27, 2020
Encyclopedic. Too brief. Having gone through the 11 Volume Story of Civilization, makes this a very concise and lackluster work, though a welcome review of certain forgotten historical figures.
March 3, 2017
Folks, my reviewing any work by historic historian Durant is like Milli Vanilli reviewing Dylan. Anyway, Will Durant wrote "Heroes of History" late in life, after a long, illustrious career (which started in the 1920s) often writing with Ariel, his wife. "Heroes" did not come out until 2001, about 20 years after his death. To Durant, true heroes are philosophers because they inform how people, and therefore leaders and maybe generals and eventually popes, view the changing world around them. They're what we today would call "thought leaders." I get it that Napoleon and Eisenhower are not featured in this book; "Heroes" ends at "The Dawn of the Modern Age." But looking back, I would have liked to see more on Copernicus and maybe some Gutenberg. There's plenty of da Vinci (code-free) and Shakespeare and some intense figures you might not expect. Will Durant was first and foremost a philosopher, so the ancient Greeks of course get a good turn. You'll immediately see that Durant was also a consummate writer. He never fails to place his many characters squarely in the world of their contemporaries, thereby intensifying their achievements.
Two take-aways: Medieval times were a bloody mess, and Durant really liked Francis Bacon.
Full disclosure: I read history interspersed with adventure/thriller novels, so it can take me a long time to finish a history book with people like Lee Child getting in the way. Also, I'm an insomniac. An action novel tends to keep me awake (as intended); history, on the other hand...
Two take-aways: Medieval times were a bloody mess, and Durant really liked Francis Bacon.
Full disclosure: I read history interspersed with adventure/thriller novels, so it can take me a long time to finish a history book with people like Lee Child getting in the way. Also, I'm an insomniac. An action novel tends to keep me awake (as intended); history, on the other hand...
June 15, 2016
Durant's 'heroes' of history are far from perfect. In most cases, their flaws exceed their virtues. But there is no doubt they were all influential. What I find most interesting is that in times of crisis, someone invariably arises who provides a pivot point that shifts the flow of history one way or another. Someone who has been pushed too far and who has the necessary combination of ideas, personality, and circumstances, ends up being a catalyst for change, sometimes good, sometimes not so good. The individuals are both a consequence of events and a catalyst for them. It's the wider events, though, that I find most interesting, and the same types of things seem to recur throughout human civilization.
Let me just provide a brief quote from the book (page 125 on the Roman Revolution of 133 B.C.) that describes one such repeating motif.
...in every civilization and in almost every generation, the natural inequality of economic ability, and the popular institution of inheritance, had produced an increasing concentration of wealth... Periodically such concentration is challenged by social unrest, sometimes by revolution.
Sound familiar? This kind of situation has arisen time and again since the dawn of recorded history. Sadly, we still haven't discovered a way to prevent it.
Let me just provide a brief quote from the book (page 125 on the Roman Revolution of 133 B.C.) that describes one such repeating motif.
...in every civilization and in almost every generation, the natural inequality of economic ability, and the popular institution of inheritance, had produced an increasing concentration of wealth... Periodically such concentration is challenged by social unrest, sometimes by revolution.
Sound familiar? This kind of situation has arisen time and again since the dawn of recorded history. Sadly, we still haven't discovered a way to prevent it.
December 30, 2010
I always have the compulsion to reconcile a book with its title. I am chagrined when I am unable to do that. It is like those covers of books that suck you in and leave you knowing in the end what they mean by the expression “artistic license.” Someone reviewed this book and thought a more appropriate title would be a View of History From 30,000 feet. I agree. It is more a distillation of thousands of years of human history down to 12 hrs and 10 min than about heroes. However, if you have ever thought of taking on the Durants' The Story of Civilization, you might wish to try this book on for size. It truly is a taste of that colossus. The Durants deserve 5 stars for their lives’ hard work, dedication and scholarship. Unfortunately, I could only muster 4 stars for this book.
October 24, 2012
Hard not to compare this audiobook to Neil McGregor's A History of the World in 100 Objects, which I recently listened to. My main problem is the narrator's voice. I barely got through listening to the first several chapters before I finally had to give up. The narrator's voice is simply too monotone. I don't know if it's Durant's writing or if the narrator chose to read the script in a boring matter, but I found myself struggling to stay interested. Not really sure why Durant picked certain "historical heroes" but arguing that a poet's work which has outlived his enemies doesn't mean anything. After all, I know only a little about Li Po than I did before this book and what I did learn, wasn't all that inspiring.
January 8, 2016
A great summary of the panorama of world history, much more concise than his great multi-volume master work. Durant was working on this when he died, which I imagine explains why it concludes with Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, and the dawn of the Age of Reason.
An interesting journey through early history, Greece, Rome, and quite a long stay in the realm of Church history, the Renaissance, Reformation, and Catholic Counter-Reformation. Durant's beautiful prose often makes history read like a compelling novel or a captivating essay. The Audible narrator could've been a bit more lively, but 5 Stars for Durant's erudition and writing ability!
An interesting journey through early history, Greece, Rome, and quite a long stay in the realm of Church history, the Renaissance, Reformation, and Catholic Counter-Reformation. Durant's beautiful prose often makes history read like a compelling novel or a captivating essay. The Audible narrator could've been a bit more lively, but 5 Stars for Durant's erudition and writing ability!
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