How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History)

Editorial Review:

Bringing readers to the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells, a historical examination of Ireland's role in the rise of medieval Europe cites the work of countless monks and scribes in the preservation of the West's written treasury. Reprint. Tour. K. AB.

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.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Cahill Offers Fascinating Glimpse at Snapshot of History:

In How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill recounts a fascinating piece of European history regarding how Europe transitioned from the fall of the Roman Empire to medieval times. This brief period of time, known as the Dark Ages, is often overlooked and misunderstood by historians. I once even had a college history professor of mine tell me that the Dark Ages were the Middle Ages! Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, the Dark Ages was a relatively brief period of time preceding the... more info

Christian History:

Anyone interested in the human history or in the basis and through understanding of the Christian faith should read these books: Starting with "How the Irish Saved civillization" then, "The Gifts of the Jews," ending with the "Desire of the Disant Hills," all by Thomas Cahill, will find the effort richly rewarded.

How the Irish Saved Civilization:

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:

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.... more info

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