Audiobook · read by volunteers
History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vol. IV
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794)
Read by Bryan Ness, Ernst Schnell, Claude Banta, ontheroad, Sibella Denton, TriciaG, Cori Samuel, Måns Broo, Aringguth, Tonia · 47 chapters · 21 h 53
About the book
In the fourth volume of his great history, Edward Gibbon follows the Roman world through some of its most turbulent centuries. The western empire has fallen to the barbarian kingdoms, and he turns to Italy under Gothic rule, to the Byzantine court of Justinian, to the ambitions of generals, theologians and empresses, and to the rise of new powers on the frontiers. Gibbon writes with a historian’s command of sources and a satirist’s sharp eye, laying out wars, laws, religious disputes and personalities in long, balanced sentences that reward patient listening. This volume covers an immense stretch of time and territory, and it offers as much entertainment as instruction for anyone who enjoys history told with elegance, irony and an unshakeable confidence in the power of narrative. It is history as a grand, ironic spectacle.
Introduction
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) was an English historian whose Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire appeared in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. It is regarded as one of the great achievements of eighteenth-century prose, admired for its scope, its style and its mastery of the scholarship available at the time. The fourth volume was published in 1788 and takes up the story after the fall of the western empire.
The recording is long, with forty-seven parts that begin with the Gothic kingdom of Italy and continue through the chapters that follow. Gibbon’s judgments reflect the Enlightenment outlook of his day, and many of his opinions, particularly on religion, have been debated ever since. Modern historians have corrected and extended his picture, but the book remains a landmark of English literature as well as a historical source in its own right. It suits listeners who like to settle into a large subject over many sessions.
There is also a human pleasure in hearing Gibbon’s famous irony, which often appears in a footnote-like aside or in the neat turn of a sentence. He is unafraid of strong judgments about emperors and generals, and he enjoys the contrast between high ambition and low motives. Even when you disagree, the performance is hard to resist.
At 47 recordings and about 21.9 hours this is a commitment, but one that divides naturally into short sessions. LibriVox volunteers share the reading, and Gibbon’s long, balanced sentences hold together best when they are heard at an even pace. Think of it as a companion for a season of commutes or for an unhurried week at home.
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