"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" is English historical writing at its best. First published in six quarto volumes between 1776 and 1788, it stands alone and unchallenged in its comprehensiveness, richness and depth. In its entirety, the text spans 71 chapters covering the history of Europe from the second century AD to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This abridged edition feature 28 chapters in full, and it includes Gibbon's footnotes, here translated from Latin for the first time, together with brief explanatory comments, a precis or the omitted chapters and a wealth of evocative engravings of the Roman Empire's greatest monuments.
