Review: From Dawn to Decadence, Part I: 1500 to the Present

From Dawn to Decadence, Part I: 1500 to the Present by Jacques Barzun
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This part goes from 1500 to the late 18th Century, circa 1789. This is a vast, encompassing history as saga - a cultural history that is focused on philosophy, the arts, and technological innovation and largely skips over such usual history fodder as battles and bold explorers. There are two elements I really like about this presentation: in-place recommendations to further reading rather than a detached bibliography (including what to skim or what to read in-depth) and similarly at-hand immediate glossing for important facts of etymology and shades of meaning.

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