STORY OF CIVILIZATION, VOL VII: AGE OF REASON BEGINS: VOLUME VII (Story of… (original: 1961; edição: 1980)

This is one of the most interesting books of history I've read. It covers a period between 1558 and 1648, a time of real and important change in how people saw the world. Rather than simply providing a detailed and dry account of wars and kings, it focuses on the evolution of the ideas and beliefs, specifically chronicling the progress of human thought and humanity's understanding of nature. To a modern reader, much of the sixteenth and seventeenth century bickering about theological minutia may seem ridiculous to us, but to them, those alive at the time, these things were important. This books helps one understand why. There are, of course, a lot of dates and names of people who are only remembered because of an accident of birth or because of the damage they caused. This is history, after all. But it also relates the story of philosophers and fledgling scientists who made a positive and lasting difference. These are the people who helped drag civilization out of the Dark Ages to make the modern world modern. ( )

This review applies to all Durant's History of Civilization. The author does not follow a strictly chronological approach, but emphasizes those events/personages that have developed our Western civilization. He tends to emphasize certain personalities - some of whom I take exception to - but he stresses those things which make Western man unique. The arts have a prominent place in developing our culture and Durant convinces the reader how important they are. ( )

New York: Simon and Schuster
(5th printing)

Durant covers the period between the reign of Elixabeth I of England to the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV. The Stuarts, the Thirty Years War, Richelieu all figure prominently herein. Durant manages to convey a vast amount of material in a pleasant and reasonably accurate and complete way. ( )