false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167760186m/25669.jpg 25669 16 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 treasury. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture. 3285909 book 1995 How the Irish Saved Civilization total:2245|5:495|4:876|3:680|2:147|1:47| 2245 8360 3370 338 1 6 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Mar 11 10:11:23 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 11 10:11:41 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 true false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sun Jan 13 08:45:15 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 13 08:58:30 -0800 2008
My college owns a line of houses in a tiny village in Ireland, and for nearly 40 years they've paid the villagers to keep it in good condition for the yearly crop of foreigners who descend on...more...]]> 3 3 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 11 11:02:03 -0800 2008 Mon Sep 15 06:52:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 2 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 08 19:49:18 -0800 2007 Thu Nov 08 19:49:18 -0800 2007 more...]]> 3 2 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 01 18:11:47 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 05 16:27:50 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 3 false false Tue Mar 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 09 19:57:23 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 19 09:38:29 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun May 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 06 17:18:47 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 14:15:44 -0700 2008 3.5 stars

This is an entertaining and informative book, and the audiobook is winsome and sparkling, courtesy of 'performer' (not credited merely as 'narrator') Donal Donnelly. The personality of the subjects is amply shown by the texts quoted, and the story is interesting and definitely ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Mar 16 21:33:16 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 16 21:53:14 -0700 2008 (If you’re curious about the life of St. Patrick, this book contains an excellent account.)

Some books have titles so awesome that the text can’t possibly live up to it. Here is a book whose title does just that. Whether “How the Irish Saved Civilization” lives up to its self-im...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Apr 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 26 11:48:19 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 29 14:17:42 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 14:31:58 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 14:38:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 2 false false Wed Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 15:10:55 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 27 17:04:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Wed Mar 19 13:03:39 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 13:07:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 02 10:51:04 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 16 06:25:55 -0700 2008
This book is everything I wished that course had been, but wasn't. It does an amazing job in pointing out how Christians have impacted history, summed up best in it'...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Jun 11 11:53:41 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 12 19:14:25 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Nov 12 02:54:25 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 12 02:54:25 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 10:43:46 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 10:51:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Oct 15 21:09:06 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 21:09:06 -0700 2009
This is the story of St. Patrick the lover, the saint, and the sa...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu May 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 08:48:17 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 09:19:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun May 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 15:48:21 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 15:56:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Nov 17 09:32:58 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 17 09:44:21 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=25669