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| How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series) | 
 enlarge | Author: Thomas Cahill
Publisher: G K Hall & Co
Category: Book
Buy Used: $32.99
Used (7) from $32.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  260 reviews
Sales Rank: 1487646
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Lrg
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 6.3 x 1
ISBN: 0783801203
Dewey Decimal Number: 941.501
EAN: 9780783801209
ASIN: 0783801203
Publication Date: May 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Ex-library with mylar-covered DJ.DD 2
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Amazon.com Review
In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars," the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the West's written treasury. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture.
Product Description
NonfictionLarge Print Edition*A New York Times BestsellerCahills lively prose breaths life into a 1,600-year-old history. Boston Globe From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne, learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. All history of Western civilization would have been lost had it not been for the holy men and women of unconquered Ireland. In this illuminating book, Cahill takes us to the Ireland of Saint Patrick where monks and scribes laboriously and lovingly worked to preserve the written treasury of Western heritage, putting their unique stamp on Western culture forever.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 255 more reviews...
 How the Irish Saved Civilization December 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book came highly recommended by a couple of people. I'm not sure why. It was interesting if you're a history buff, but expect the reading to feel more like you're in school again and have to read something for a paper coming up. It could have been more engaging. I wouldn't recommend it, but I did learn some interesting facts about the Irish.
 I had avoided this book for 13 years September 16, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book came out in 1995. And I've avoided it since then.
I was wrong.
I'd been told the book is superficial. It is: any book of this length that tries to cover a subject of the length and breadth here is sure to be superficial.
And perhaps superficial is too harsh. "A good overview" might be a better way of describing it.
But this is an engaging, entertaining read. I found myself drawn into a subject I knew little about, the history, people, culture and faith of Ireland and the Celts. For those wanting more background, Cahill provides a useful bibliography at the end. Those wishing for more than this overview can find years of study in the books recommended in the bibliography.
An overview gets us started. It's not where we should stop, but it provides a means of seeing the big picture, and understanding how to fit in the necessary minutiae of history. This book is that good beginning for understand how the Irish were the bookmeisters at the end of the Roman empire.
Always on time September 10, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I purchased this book for my husband for his birthday. It arrived right on time and he loved it.
Nay-sayers knowe not what of which they speake August 19, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I listened to this audiobook on a four day road trip, and I had a wonderful experience with the substance of author Cahill's tales which in my mind substantiate the title's claims... that the Irish did indeed save civilization. Such as civilization is. You probably won't find a college course on this topic, however Cahill's conclusion based on the intertwined threads of history makes sense. I was so impressed by Thomas Cahill that I am listening to a second of his audiobooks, which I find just about as interesting. Being an Irish-phile, I favor this book. And I will listen to it again for my listening pleasure. A good read or listen.
Irish Literary and Religious History August 15, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I found the content of this book nowhere near as profound as the title. At times the writing was dry and listless, but I found the history of St. Patrick interesting. All in all, an OK book.
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