Will Durant | The Story of Civilization

Will Durant was born on this day, November 5th, 1885. He was a great historian, and wrote The Story of Civilization series. The way in which he labeled his histories tells a lot about the man: Our Oriental Heritage, The Life of Greece, Caesar and Christ, The Age of Faith, The Renaissance, and The Reformation.

Just as Will Durant, our Old Western Culture series does not label the “Middle Ages” as “The Dark Ages,” but rather as “Christendom.” This was a period of great thought, architecture, and literature, and to call it the “Dark Ages” is more a statement about one’s position on the so-called “Enlightenment” than anything else.

If you can get your hands on The Story of Civilization collection, do so! You will often find them discounted in used book stores.