Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Before you decide to embark on this journey you should be aware of a few things. First, this work is a narrative history, devoid of any real analysis. You will not gain anything from the content of the book other than the chrnological linking of facts and entertaining stories. Second, this work is really really L O N G. If you are looking for a narrative history of the Roman Empire for the entertainment value, look elsewhere. You will tire of this work if that is your reason for reading it. Thirdly, Gibbon's conclusion about the "moral decadence" of the Romans being the cause of the collapse of the Western Empire is wrong. Gibbon has viewed history through the foggy lense of his own value system. If you are looking to discover why the Western part of the Empire collapsed you should take a look at Rostovtzeff's Rome, Delbruck's Barbarian Invasions, Haussig's intro to A History of Byzantine Civilization, and Strayer's intro to The Middle Ages. Finally, if you are interested in reading some of the greatest English language prose of all time, read an abridgment. The Penguin abridgement has all the wonderful narration, entertaining stories, and is only about a third of the length of the whole work.