TOYNBEE, Arnold.
A Study of History.
London: The Arcadia Press , 1973.
$2,250.00
In Stock
Item Number: RRB-152338
The Arcadia Press Limited Edition of A Study of History; Signed by Arnold Toynbee and Finely Bound by Zaehnsdorf
The Arcadia Press limited edition of this monumental universal history. Quarto, bound in full morocco by Zaehnsdorf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, pictorial vignette inlaid with red, green, and gilt to the front panel, all edges gilt, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, red moire silk doublures and endpapers, with 507 illustrations including 90 in color and 23 maps and charts. One of 105 numbered copies, this is number 99. Boldly signed by Arnold Toynbee on the limitations page. In fine condition. Housed in the original publisher's cloth slipcase. A stunning example.
A Study of History (1934-1961) by Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889-1975), Director of Studies at the Royal Institute of International Affairs and Research Professor of International History at the University of London, and one of the most ambitious works of historical scholarship produced in the twentieth century. Toynbee's goal was to trace the development and decay of nineteen or twenty-one world civilizations in the historical record, applying his model to each and detailing the stages through which they all pass: genesis, growth, time of troubles, universal state, and disintegration, a framework that drew on comparative mythology, theology, philosophy, and classical learning alongside conventional historical evidence. His most significant argument proposed a comparative approach to understanding the rise and fall of civilizations, emphasizing the role of creative individuals and spiritual elements in societal growth and arguing that civilizations thrive by effectively responding to challenges but decline due to internal failures, a thesis he summarized in the celebrated formulation of "challenge and response."
A Study of History.
$2,250.00
In Stock
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