The full set of the Story, totaling to about ten thousand pages.
The Story of Civilization is an 11-volume series of history books written by husband and wife Will and Ariel Durant from the 1930s until its final volume in 1975. They use what Will calls "integral history", describing not only the traditional wars and politics but also the literature, art, music, science, philosophy, religion, culture, and society of every age. Like many old-fashioned histories, it is no dry and impartial recitation of facts, but is colored on every page with the insight, humor, observations, and opinions of the writers.The series, being written for the general reader, didn't make an impact on scholarship, but is beloved by many as one of the greatest works of universal history. The Story begins by describing how tribal societies become civilized, and begins its vast tour of history with ancient Sumer, Babylon, and Egypt. The series is astounding in breadth and depth, covering China, India, Japan, the Middle East, Russia, and all of Europe through thousands of years. Their last volume, The Age of Napoleon, ends in 1815 with the Battle of Waterloo; another volume in the works was halted by Will and Ariel's deaths.
Here is a list of all the volumes in the series:
- Our Oriental Heritage: Defines civilization and covers the ancient Near East. Also covers the histories of Japan, China, and India to the thirties.
- The Life of Greece: Covers ancient Greece from prehistory to its conquest by the Romans.
- Caesar and Christ: Covers ancient Rome from the ancient kingdoms to early Christianity.
- The Age of Faith: All about Medieval times.
- The Renaissance: 1300 to the 1500s in Italy.
- The Reformation: 1300 to the 1500s outside Italy.
- The Age of Reason Begins: Goes from the Counter-Reformation to the end of the Thirty Years' War. The first volume where Ariel is credited on the cover.
- The Age of Louis XIV: Goes from the Thirty Years' War to the death of the titular King.
- The Age of Voltaire: The first half of the Enlightenment, before the Seven Years' War.
- Rousseau and Revolution: The second half of the Enlightenment.
- The Age of Napoleon: Goes from the French Revolution to Waterloo.
Provides examples of:
- An Aesop: A whole separate (100-page) book called The Lessons of History was published by Will and Ariel in conjunction with the series. It was intended as an epilogue to the entire Story of Civilization, not only summarizing what they had learned, but suggesting how humanity might improve itself in the future.
- Author Avatar: Some readers might find it strange that Abelard and Heloise, relatively minor figures in the course of history, have a whole chapter dedicated to them in The Age of Faith. This makes more sense when one realizes that the love story between these two closely parallels that of Durant and his wife.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Durant ends The Reformation with a fictional debate between a Catholic and a Protestant about whether the era was good or bad for mankind; both are sympathetic and make some excellent points. Things are further complicated when the humanist walks in.
- Corrupt Church: Subverted. This is what Martin Luther thought of the Catholic Church, but Durant has a more sympathetic take on it. He admits that the clergy's morals were flawed during the Renaissance, but praises their tolerance, respect for classical culture, and patronage of the arts.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Will isn't ashamed to make many sexual jokes throughout the series. In The Reformation, he is especially amused by quotes from the modest Saint Teresa regarding her vision of an angel:"I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it..."
- Doorstopper: See the page image. If you read this series at a rate of one chapter per day, it would take a year to finish.
- God-Emperor: As is common knowledge, Alexander the Great demanded that all his subjects worship him as a god.
- God Is Evil: Durant assumes that this would be the case if Calvinism were true. He makes no secret that he despises the idea of a universe without free will, where God sends most of humanity to Hell based not on their actions but on His merciless whim.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: Durant occasionally makes quips in Latin or French without offering a translation. This makes the modern reader thankful for the internet.
- The High Queen: Queen Margaret, who ruled over Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. In Durant's judgment:"No other European ruler of the age had so extensive a realm, or so successful a reign."
- Interchangeable Asian Cultures: Averted by Will in Our Oriental Heritage, describing the various cultures of China, India, and Japan with great appreciation."We must conceive [India], then, not as a nation, like Egypt, Babylonia, or England, but as a continent as populous and polyglot as Europe, and almost as varied in climate and race, in literature, philosophy and art."
- Straw Misogynist: As the last volume doesn't even come near the emancipation of woman, the Durants discuss these types of men in great detail and with plenty of wit. According to Will:"The moulders of the world’s myths were unsuccessful husbands, for they agreed that woman was the source of all evil."
- Utopia: Since these books are about Real Life, there are naturally no true utopias that appear in history. However, as the Durants love to talk about the literature of the past at great length, utopias conceived by the likes of Plato, Thomas More, and Rabelais are described and criticized.
- Vestigial Empire: Naturally, many of these appear in the series, from Rome to Russia. The Durants give a profound quote about this trope:"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within."
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Queen Mary Tudor (the infamous "Bloody Mary") was described as such in The Reformation. The poor girl was declared a bastard at birth, forbidden to see either of her parents until adulthood, and dealt with constant illness and depression. Only after the death of her mother (which drove Mary mad with grief) was she declared legitimate. She had a fangirl-esque obsession with her husband, Phillip II of Spain, who rarely visited her, had numerous affairs, and generally didn't care about his wife at all. Her only comfort throughout life was the Catholic faith, and one might almost understand why she went on a killing spree against all non-Catholics during her reign.
