Drawing on a lifetime of studies across a broad territory, highly regarded cultural historian and critic Jacques Barzun here synthesizes the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500.

The triumphs and defeats of five hundred years form an inspiring saga which modifies the current impression of Western history as one long tale of oppression by white European males. Women and their deeds are prominent,

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Karin Bojs grew up in a small, broken family, and at her mother's funeral she felt this more keenly than ever. As part of the healing process, she decided to use DNA research to learn more about herself, her family, and the interconnectedness of society. She went deep in search of her genealogy, having her DNA sequenced and tested, and effectively becoming an experimental subject. Remarkably, she was able to trace the path of her ancestors through...

"A monumental and exhilarating history of European thought from the end of Antiquity to the beginning of the Enlightenment-500 to 1700 AD-tracing the arc of intellectual history as it evolved over the course of 1,200 years, setting the stage for the modern era." -- inside front jacket flap. "A history of European intellectual life from 500 AD to 1700 AD"--

The twentieth century was born not in the trenches of the Somme, but rather in the fifteen years preceding World War I. In this short span of time, a new world order was emerging in ultimately tragic contradiction to the old. The major topics of the day: terrorism, globalization, immigration, consumerism, the collapse of moral values, and the rivalry of superpowers. These were the years in which the political and personal repercussions of the Industrial...