Edward Gibbon's six-volume The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is a classic in the truest sense of the word. The first volume of this monumental work was published in 1776, with the remaining volumes following over the next 12 years. But Gibbon actually spent 26 years working on Decline and Fall. Gibbon's careful scholarship and exhaustive research have survived the test of time remarkably well. While he is no longer cited as a foremost authority on Roman history, his facts and observations have been rarely contradicted.

The makers of Encyclopaedia Britannica bring you the Great Books of the Western World. Comprising 60 volumes containing 517 works written by 130 authors, these texts capture the major ideas, stories, and discoveries that shaped Western culture.

The makers of Encyclopaedia Britannica bring you one of the Great Books of the Western World. This text captures major ideas, stories, and discoveries that helped shape Western culture.

The makers of Encyclopaedia Britannica bring you one of the Great Books of the Western World. This text captures major ideas, stories, and discoveries that helped shape Western culture.

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