The Age of Reason Begins, Will Durant
The Age of Reason Begins, Will Durant
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The Age of Reason Begins
A History of European Civilization in the Period of Shakespeare, Bacon, Montaigne, Rembrandt, Galileo, and Descartes: 1558–1648

Author: Will Durant, Ariel Durant

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Unabridged: 34 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/27/2015

Synopsis

This seventh volume of Will and Ariel Durant's renowned Story of Civilization chronicles the history of European civilization from 1558 to 1648.The Age of Reason Begins brings together a fascinating network of stories in the discussion of the bumpy road toward the Enlightenment. This is the age of great monarchs and greater artists—on the one hand, Elizabeth I of England, Philip II of Spain, and Henry IV of France; on the other, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Montaigne, and Rembrandt. It also encompasses the heyday of Francis Bacon, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, and Descartes, the fathers of modern science and philosophy. But it is equally an age of extreme violence, a moment in which all Europe was embroiled in the horrible Thirty Years' War—in some respects, the real first world war. This chapter in cultural history is one that can't be missed.

About Will Durant

Will Durant (1885–1981) was an award-winning American writer, historian, and philosopher. He and his wife were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 for Rousseau and Revolution, and he was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Durant spent over forty years writing the critically acclaimed eleven-volume Story of Civilization, the later volumes with the help of his wife, Ariel. He sought to revitalize history by unifying and humanizing the great body of historical knowledge, which had become voluminous and fragmented into esoteric subcategories. He also strove to bring philosophy to the common man. Durant was a champion of human rights, social reform, and the brotherhood of man long before they became well-known issues.

About Ariel Durant

Ariel Durant (1898–1981) was a Russian-born American researcher and writer and the coauthor of the eleven-volume Story of Civilization with her husband Will Durant. Ariel and Will Durant were jointly awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977. Ariel was named the 1977 Woman of the Year by the City of Los Angeles.

About Grover Gardner

Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Roy on June 03, 2017

So continues my slow Odyssey through European history, with Durant as my leisurely guide. Durant originally planned a single, massive volume, to be entitled The Age of Reason, that would have taken the reader from the end of his volume on the Reformation (around 1560) all the way to the French Revo......more

Goodreads review by Angela Dawn on June 10, 2007

This series, "The Story of Civilization" by the brilliant and erudite Will Durant and his equally brilliant wife Ariel, is still one of the best series on world history ever written despite it's age. It's multidisciplinary approach to understanding history and insightful and articulate execution rep......more

Goodreads review by Jamie on March 22, 2022

Edward Gibbon wrote that “History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.” That quote has often come to mind as I make my way through the eleven volumes of the Durants’ Story of Civilization, but it hit me with greater effect this time. Age of Reas......more

Goodreads review by Noah on June 28, 2019

The Age of Reason Begins is another solid installment in Will Durant’s huge history of Western Civilization. It’s history that gives highlights of politics and war, but also delves deeply into culture. Durant is interested in art, philosophy, literature, and people, and this books covers (to greater......more

Quotes

“Mr. and Mrs. Durant are admirably lucid…This is a book that can be commended very warmly.” New York Times

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