Audiobook · read by volunteers
History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vol. III
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794)
Read by Sibella Denton, Nicholas James Bridgewater, Måns Broo, Claude Banta, Jeff Stuckey, Cori Samuel, Lizzie Driver, Jason Mayoff, tipaew, ontheroad · 48 chapters · 18 h 07
About the book
Edward Gibbon's great history traces the long decline of the Roman Empire, and this third volume carries the story forward through civil wars, the reign of Theodosius and the pressures that were closing in on the Empire. Gibbon writes with irony, learning and a sense of drama, treating emperors, generals, bishops and barbarian kings with the same measured wit. His prose has been admired for more than two centuries as a monument of English style. In forty-eight parts and over eighteen hours, read by LibriVox volunteers, you can follow a vast panorama of events in the company of one of history's most distinguished narrators. This is a monumental work, but it is also a very readable one, rich in portraits and dramatic episodes, and its famous style makes it a pleasure to hear. For those who love history written as literature, it is a classic.
Introduction
Edward Gibbon (1737 to 1794) was an English historian and member of Parliament, and the author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, one of the major literary achievements of the eighteenth century. The work was published in six volumes, the first of which appeared in 1776 and went through several printings in a very short time. It took Gibbon some twenty years to complete.
The third volume, recorded here, begins with the chapter on the civil wars and the reign of Theodosius. It belongs to the later part of the story, in which the Empire is divided and faces repeated crises from within and without. Gibbon examines politics, warfare, religion and the personalities of the rulers, with a special attention to the causes of decline, which he explains in terms of corruption, the weakening of civic spirit and the rise of Christianity.
The book is also a work of literature. Gibbon's sentences are long and carefully balanced, his irony is delicate, and his footnotes, which are often as entertaining as the text, are full of comment. Modern historians have corrected many of his judgments, but few have matched his command of narrative.
This volume is divided into forty-eight parts, and the total running time is about eighteen hours. It is read by volunteers of LibriVox. It makes a stimulating companion for long trips and for readers who like their history on a grand scale. Because the recording is long, it can be taken in short sessions, one chapter at a time. Each chapter treats a coherent episode, and the narrative thread is easy to follow. Many listeners find that, over time, the sweep of the story becomes the main pleasure.
Public domain
Edward Gibbon died in 1794: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text