Edward Gibbon

628 books • 21 series

Edward Gibbon was a member of the English parliament, a historian, and a writer. On May 8, 1737, he was born, and on January 16, 1794, he died. His most important work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, came out in six parts between 1776 and 1788. It is known for the quality and irony of its prose, the way it uses first-hand sources, and the way it criticizes organized religion in a polemical way. After getting sick in 1752, Gibbon went to Bath to get better. When he was 15, his father sent him to Oxford to study as a gentleman commoner at Magdalen College. But he didn't fit in well at college, and he later said that the 14 months he spent there were the "most useless and unprofitable" of his life. He lived in Lausanne for five years and read works by Hugo Grotius, Samuel von Pufendorf, John Locke, Pierre Bayle, and Blaise Pascal. He also traveled around Switzerland to study the constitutions of its cantons.
Mar 25, 2011
Cover of Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. with the Notes by H. H. Milman. with Illustrations

Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. with the Notes by H. H. Milman. with Illustrations

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition. with a Portrait

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition. with a Portrait

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. [With a Portrait and Maps.] Vol. VIII

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. [With a Portrait and Maps.] Vol. VIII

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, Etc. with Maps. Vol. IV.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, Etc. with Maps. Vol. IV.

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, Etc. with Maps. Vol. VI.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, Etc. with Maps. Vol. VI.

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. with a Portrait and Maps. Vol. I. a New Edition.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. with a Portrait and Maps. Vol. I. a New Edition.

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, Etc. with Maps. Vol. X.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, Etc. with Maps. Vol. X.

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ... a New Edition, Etc. [With Maps.] Vol. VIII

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ... a New Edition, Etc. [With Maps.] Vol. VIII

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. with the Notes by H. H. Milman. with Illustrations Vol. VII

Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. with the Notes by H. H. Milman. with Illustrations Vol. VII

Mar 20, 2011
Cover of Miscellaneous Works of E. G. with Memoirs of His Life and Writings; Composed by Himself; Illustrated from His Letters, with Occasional Notes and Narrative by John Lord Sheffield.

Miscellaneous Works of E. G. with Memoirs of His Life and Writings; Composed by Himself; Illustrated from His Letters, with Occasional Notes and Narrative by John Lord Sheffield.

Mar 14, 2011
Cover of Miscellaneous Works of E. G. ... with Memoirs of His Life and Writings; Composed by Himself; Illustrated from His Letters, with Occasional Notes and N

Miscellaneous Works of E. G. ... with Memoirs of His Life and Writings; Composed by Himself; Illustrated from His Letters, with Occasional Notes and N

Mar 1, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, Etc. with Maps

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, Etc. with Maps

Mar 1, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, with Maps and Portrait, Etc.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. a New Edition, with Maps and Portrait, Etc.

Mar 1, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. New Edition

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. New Edition

Mar 1, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. with a Portrait and Maps

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. with a Portrait and Maps

Mar 1, 2011
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Edited with Additional Notes by W. Smith

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Edited with Additional Notes by W. Smith

Feb 23, 2011
Cover of Miscellaneous Works of E. G. with Memoirs of His Life and Writings; Composed by Himself; Illustrated from His Letters, with Occasional Notes and Narrative by John [Holroyd] Sheffield.

Miscellaneous Works of E. G. with Memoirs of His Life and Writings; Composed by Himself; Illustrated from His Letters, with Occasional Notes and Narrative by John [Holroyd] Sheffield.

Feb 23, 2011
Cover of Miscellaneous Works of E. G. ... with Memoirs of His Life and Writings, Vol. II

Miscellaneous Works of E. G. ... with Memoirs of His Life and Writings, Vol. II

Dec 21, 2010
Cover of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volumes 1 to 6

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volumes 1 to 6 (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire)

Sep 10, 2010
Cover of The Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon V2

The Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon V2

Sep 10, 2010
Cover of The Life and Letters of Edward Gibbon

The Life and Letters of Edward Gibbon

Sep 9, 2010
Cover of The Autobiographies of Edward Gibbon. Printed Verbatim from Hitherto Unpublished Mss.

The Autobiographies of Edward Gibbon. Printed Verbatim from Hitherto Unpublished Mss.

Sep 8, 2010
Cover of Ancient Empires of the East

Ancient Empires of the East

Aug 19, 2010
Cover of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 12)

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 12)