Sign-In
Cart
From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 to the Present: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life
Paperback
Medieval & Renaissance HistoryGeneral European HistoryGeneral World History
Publisher Price: $26.99
ISBN13: 9780060928834
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: May 15 2001
Pages: 912
Weight: 1.80
Height: 1.70 Width: 6.10 Depth: 8.10
Language: English
A stunning five-century study of civilization's cultural retreat. -- William Safire, New York Times
Highly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500.
Barzun describes what Western Man wrought from the Renaissance and Reformation down to the present in the double light of its own time and our pressing concerns. He introduces characters and incidents with his unusual literary style and grace, bringing to the fore those that have been forgotten or obscured. His compelling chapters--such as Puritans as Democrats, The Monarchs' Revolution, and The Artist Prophet and Jester--show the recurrent role of great themes throughout the era.
The triumphs and defeats of five hundred years form an inspiring saga that modifies the current impression of one long tale of oppression by white European males. Women and their deeds are prominent, and freedom (even in sexual matters) is not an invention of the last decades. And when Barzun rates the present not as a culmination but a decline, he is in no way a prophet of doom. Instead, he shows decadence as the normal close of great periods and a necessary condition of the creative novelty that will burst forth--tomorrow or the next day.
Only after a lifetime of separate studies covering a broad territory could a writer create with such ease the synthesis displayed in this magnificent volume.
Also in
General European History
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
Green, John
Hardcover
The Killing Season: The Autumn of 1914, Ypres, and the Afternoon That Cost Germany a War
Cowley, Robert
Hardcover
The Treacherous World of the 16th Century & How the Pilgrims Escaped It: The Prequel to America's Freedom
Federer, William J.
Paperback
The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters, Witches, and Ghosts
Belanger, Jeff
Hardcover
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
Hochschild, Adam
Paperback
A Light in the Northern Sea: Denmark's Incredible Rescue of Their Jewish Citizens During WWII
Brady, Tim
Hardcover
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I
Brunt, Douglas
Paperback
Norse Paganism for Beginners: Explore The History of The Old Norse Religion - Asatru, Cosmology, Astrology, Mythology, Magic, Runes, Tarot, Witchcra
Brought Alive, History
Paperback
He That Is Spiritual: A Classic Study of the Biblical Doctrine of Spirituality
Chafer, Lewis Sperry
Paperback
Greatness and Ruin: Self-Reflection and Universalism within European Civilization
Duchesne, Ricardo
Paperback
A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, & Pagans
Russell, Jeffrey B.
Alexander, Brooks
Paperback
Princeton Review AP European History Premium Prep, 24th Edition: 6 Practice Tests + Digital Practice Online + Content Review
The Princeton Review
Paperback
AP European History Premium, Fourteenth Edition: Prep Book with 5 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice (2026)
Roberts, Seth A.
Paperback
The Watchmaker's Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie Ten Boom
Loftis, Larry
Paperback
Cræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts
Langlands, Alexander
Paperback
Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe
Gabriele, Matthew
Perry, David M.
Hardcover
Revolutionary Spring: Europe Aflame and the Fight for a New World, 1848-1849
Clark, Christopher
Paperback
The Devil's Ointment: A History of Unguents in European Magic and Witchcraft
Boyer, Corinne
Paperback
How Not to Be a Basic Peasant: A Medieval Bard's Guide to Living Your Best Life
Mulrooney, Kristen
Hardcover
The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain
Menocal, Maria Rosa
Paperback
The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won
Hanson, Victor Davis
Paperback
The Revolutionary Self: Social Change and the Emergence of the Modern Individual, 1770-1800
Hunt, Lynn
Hardcover
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I
Brunt, Douglas
Hardcover
Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe
Perry, David M.
Gabriele, Matthew
Paperback
A World Restored: Metternich, Castlereagh and the Problems of Peace, 1812-22
Kissinger, Henry a.
Paperback
Life Aboard the RMS Titanic: The Maiden Voyage Before the Sinking of the World's Most Famous Ship
Charles River
Charles River
Paperback
The Struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent 1945 to the Present
Hitchcock, William I.
Paperback
The Roads to Modernity: The British, French, and American Enlightenments
Himmelfarb, Gertrude
Paperback
Families Directly Descended from All the Royal Families in Europe (495 to 1932) & Mayflower Descendants. Bound with Supplement
Rixford, Elizabeth M.
Paperback
The Last Titans: How Churchill and de Gaulle Saved Their Nations and Transformed the World
Vinen, Richard
Hardcover
The Anatomy of Viking Art: A Quick Guide to the Styles of Norse Animal Ornament
Markussen, Jonas Lau
Hardcover
The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse: The Curious Destinies of Queen Victoria's Granddaughters
Welch, Frances
Hardcover
The Rest Is History: From Ancient Rome to Ronald Reagan--History's Most Curious Questions, Answered
Goalhanger Podcasts
Hardcover
AP European History Premium, 2025: Prep Book with 5 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice
Roberts, Seth A.
Barron's Educational Series
Paperback
The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order, 1916-1931
Tooze, Adam
Paperback
Norse Paganism for Beginners: Explore The History of The Old Norse Religion - Asatru, Cosmology, Astrology, Mythology, Magic, Runes, Tarot, Witchcra
Brought Alive, History
Hardcover
A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age
Nadler, Steven
Paperback
Threads of Gold: Miracle in Santarem: An inspiring true story of hope, courage, forgiveness, and grace.
O'Dell, Dani
Hardcover
The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age
Schama, Simon
Paperback
The Story of Modern France: The Kings, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars and the Establishment of Democracy and Liberty
Guerber, Hélène Adeline
Paperback
Gender, Sex and the Shaping of Modern Europe: A History from the French Revolution to the Present Day
Sanborn, Joshua A.
Timm, Annette F.
Paperback
The Lost History of Liberalism: From Ancient Rome to the Twenty-First Century
Rosenblatt, Helena
Paperback
A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America: Volume I
Adams, John
Paperback
The Pursuit of Glory: The Five Revolutions That Made Modern Europe: 1648-1815
Blanning, Tim
Paperback
Pagan Portals: Y Mabinogi: Exploring the Magic and Wisdom of Welsh Mythology
Mhara Starling
Paperback
Empires in World History: Power and the Politics of Difference
Burbank, Jane
Cooper, Frederick
Paperback
House of Medici: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Medici Family and Dynasty
History, Captivating
Hardcover
The Muse of History: The Ancient Greeks from the Enlightenment to the Present
Murray, Oswyn
Hardcover
The Great War and the Transformation of Habsburg Central Europe
Judson, Pieter M.
Zahra, Tara
Hardcover
The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won
Hanson, Victor Davis
Hardcover
The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe
Kertzer, David I.
Paperback
Origins of the Modern World: A Global and Environmental Narrative from the Fifteenth to the Twenty-First Century
Marks, Robert B.
Paperback
Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused
Dash, Mike
Paperback
The G.I. Collector's Guide: U.S. Army Service Forces Catalog, European Theater of Operations: Volume 1
Enjames, Henri-Paul
Hardcover
Polish Short Stories: 11 Simple Stories for Beginners Who Want to Learn Polish in Less Time While Also Having Fun
Learning, Simple Language
Paperback
A Fistful of Shells: West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution
Green, Toby
Paperback