How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill

NATIONAL BESTSELLER . A book in the best tradition of popular history-the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe. . The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift!

Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars"-and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians.

In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost-they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task.

As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated.

In the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, How The Irish Saved Civilization reconstructs an era that few know about but which is central to understanding our past and our cultural heritage. But it conveys its knowledge with a winking wit that aptly captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilization.

THOMAS CAHILL is the author of numerous best-selling books, including How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Hidden Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Collapse of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe, The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Altered the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels, Desire of the Eternal Hills: The World Before and After Jesus, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter, and Mys Books I, II, III, IV, V, and VI of the Hinges of History, a planned seven-volume series in which the author recalls formative episodes in Western civilisation, are these six works. Thomas Cahill's book The Hinges of History attempts to recreate the tale of the Western World through little-known stories of great gift-givers, people who made significant contributions to Western culture and the evolution of Western sensibility, demonstrating how we came to be the people we are and why we think and feel the way we do today. Thomas Cahill is most recognized for taking a broad range of complex history and reducing it into an approachable, informative, and amusing narrative in his books and talks. His bright, engaging writing brings societies from up to five millennia ago to life, exposing the lives of his main characters with new insight and joy.

He retells the stories of those beautiful and unexplained times when someone did something for someone else, saved a life, bestowed a gift, or offered something beyond what was necessary by circumstance. A Thomas Cahill history book or speech, unlike far too many history lessons, is impossible to forget. He has taught at Queens College, Fordham University, and Seton Hall University, as well as serving as the Times of London's North American education reporter and a long-time contributor to the Los Angeles Times Book Review. He was director of Christian publishing at Doubleday for six years before retiring to write full-time.

He and his wife, Susan, who was also an novelist, formed the now-famous Cahill & Company, whose reader's catalog was well-loved in literary homes across the country. New York, Rome, and Paris are where they spend their time.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780385418492
ISBN 10	0385418493
Title	How the Irish Saved Civilization
Author	Thomas Cahill
Series	The Hinges Of History
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	1996-02-01
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.