A Study of History Author:Arnold J. Toynbee In this 2nd vol, pub 1957, D.C. Somervell completes his abridgement of A. Toynbee's great 10-vol. work. 1st vol of abridgement was a compression of vol I-VI of "A Study of HIstory"; the present book deals similarly w/ Vol. VII-X. A. Toynbee's analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations has been acknowledged as an achievement w/o parallel in... more » modern scholarship & generally accorded a place alongside Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman empire" and Spengler's "Decline of the WEst" as one of the really great works of intellectual history. In its way D.C. Somervell's abridgement of this monumental work is also an unparalleled achievement, for while reducing the work to 1/6th of its original size, he has contrived to preserve its method, atmosphere, texture, and for the most part, the author's very words.« less