The Decline of Rome and the Rise of Mediaeval Europe

by Solomon Katz

Examines the major factors leading to the decline of ancient Rome from the fourth to the seventh century and interprets the significance of this era to the development of Western civilization

Genres: History

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

Reviews

[Robert Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of "The Development of Western Civilization" series that was published by Cornell University Press back in the '50s. According to chief editor Edward Whiting Fox, the installments in the series are intended to "be brief, well-written, and based on unquestioned scholarship and ... assume almost no previous historical knowledge on the part of the reader." In other words, the kind of book the average 21st century American needs.

Katz writes well, and the text moves quickly (even for a relatively slow reader like myself). As was the stated intention, the book maintains high scholarship while staying fully accessible as an introductory work. A good read, and a great intro to such a significant historical period.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cornell Univ. published a whole series of these little monographs during the 1950s. The series title was The Development of Western Civilization. The goal was to provide college intro courses in Western Civ with easily digestible yet scholarly summaries of crucial periods of Western history. This is the first I've read of the series, and I was moderately impressed. The book is well-written and engaging. It's a little dated, but its approach to the subject still seems generally sound. On the whole, I enjoyed the read--a quick summation of the period in question. Based on my experience with Katz's monograph, I'll be searching out others in the series.