--- product_id: 48730776 title: "Lessons of History" price: "£6.42" currency: GBP in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/48730776-lessons-of-history store_origin: GB region: Great Britain --- # Lessons of History **Price:** £6.42 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Lessons of History - **How much does it cost?** £6.42 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/48730776-lessons-of-history) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description This book by Will and Ariel Durant distills their research on The Story of Civilization, offering profound insights into the nature, conduct, and prospects of mankind. Review: A birds-eye view of human experience and civilisation - There is so much to learn from history. And much more than is described in this book. However this is a lovely, concise yet very rich book that offers insights from a brilliant point of view. It’s is a curiosity in my vast collection of history books. There aren’t that many books where so much substance is packed in such a small amount of pages. The 120-page book essentially deals with a selection principles and commonalities that bind human societies even though there are that separated by thousands of years. The thing, according to the authors, is that common human passions and desires drive comparable motivations, behaviour and societal change. All is based on the Durant’s decades-long study of and publications on historic topics. It’s simply a distillation of their academic work, brought back to a few essential points. None of the chapters cover more than few pages, yet the book covers the entirety of human history. They explain how in their view historic events are driven by several factors those being biology, race, morals, religion, economics, government, war, progress and decline. To support their conclusions they will present examples. Now, a couple of statements and findings are deeply coloured by the era when the authors were publishing (1967). So while most is timeless and universal, communism comes up a lot. But also homosexuality is cited as a symptom of the degeneration of societies as is modern art. And democracy is not presented as the panacea to all social strive. In fact, they also make a point that monarchy has been the more stable successful form of government and that democracy is hard to execute in practice. The impact of religious institutions on societies in general is being played down a,s according to the authors, they only have a role in moderating personal behaviour. Even if you disagree with some of these views / findings it is still super interesting to think about these issues and form your own conclusions. So I think this book is really brilliant and unique in its set up. The authors, even if a bit quaint from time to time, make a brave and bold effort to offer some general findings and insight, rather than proving insight on specific events. All statements and conclusions are supported by historic examples, so it makes an interesting read, even if you don’t agree with all conclusions. I think that a wide range of readers can benefit from the wisdom in this book although it helps if you have a good framework of history and social science as this will tie a good few things together. The book provides a readable, original look on history but some if it comes close to prose, some of the arguing deals with complex issues or topics that are only mentioned such as the Anabaptists (a topic that fascinates me tremendously). But if you give it a chance it should be well worth reading. Review: An incredible ride through the chief zeitgeists of recorded history. - An incredible ride through the chief zeitgeists of recorded history. This reads like a long-form riff or poem. It kept reminding me of Ginsberg's 'Howl', not due to any ideological or intellectual alignment of the work, but the sheer pace and speed at which so many ideas are being flung at you; kind of like standing in front of a tennis ball machine in a strong head wind. Many of the positions and musings the author may hold are ambiguously presented with a degree of arm's length and sense of distance, sometimes hinting at a through-line of reasoning and ideological compass, only to be thwarted by another bent that scrambles your coordinated assumptions on just what Will Durant's political conclusions about history are. He will say one thing that devastates the Right-Wing, only to pivot to doing the same to the Left-Wing. The amount of mileage to the gallon this text produces is remarkable. Obviously, tackling all of human civilised history is no mean feat in itself, but to do so in just over 100 pages without seeming reductionist, lazy or glib is one of another kind. In fact, it is a kaleidoscopic ride at times. Without pauses for breath or sober reflection (though you might impose those on yourself as a form of strategy of recuperation), it bulldozes through history, flagging catastrophes, wars, ideological epochs, deceased civilisations and everything in between in a way that is both harrowing and uplifting. The conclusions are apt and revealing. I won't spoil those for you, but you will have your own by the end, due to the process of joining dots you had previously not. An excellent primer for budding historians and a good long-form essay for those more experience who just enjoy good writing. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 4,201 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 12 in Anthropology & Sociology Biographies 14 in History of Civilisation & Culture 101 in Social & Cultural History | | Customer reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (5,685) | | Dimensions | 13.97 x 0.81 x 21.44 cm | | Edition | 1st | | ISBN-10 | 143914995X | | ISBN-13 | 978-1439149959 | | Item weight | 118 g | | Language | English | | Print length | 128 pages | | Publication date | 16 Feb. 2010 | | Publisher | Simon & Schuster | ## Images ![Lessons of History - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-1MfEw+4L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A birds-eye view of human experience and civilisation *by D***. on 18 September 2020* There is so much to learn from history. And much more than is described in this book. However this is a lovely, concise yet very rich book that offers insights from a brilliant point of view. It’s is a curiosity in my vast collection of history books. There aren’t that many books where so much substance is packed in such a small amount of pages. The 120-page book essentially deals with a selection principles and commonalities that bind human societies even though there are that separated by thousands of years. The thing, according to the authors, is that common human passions and desires drive comparable motivations, behaviour and societal change. All is based on the Durant’s decades-long study of and publications on historic topics. It’s simply a distillation of their academic work, brought back to a few essential points. None of the chapters cover more than few pages, yet the book covers the entirety of human history. They explain how in their view historic events are driven by several factors those being biology, race, morals, religion, economics, government, war, progress and decline. To support their conclusions they will present examples. Now, a couple of statements and findings are deeply coloured by the era when the authors were publishing (1967). So while most is timeless and universal, communism comes up a lot. But also homosexuality is cited as a symptom of the degeneration of societies as is modern art. And democracy is not presented as the panacea to all social strive. In fact, they also make a point that monarchy has been the more stable successful form of government and that democracy is hard to execute in practice. The impact of religious institutions on societies in general is being played down a,s according to the authors, they only have a role in moderating personal behaviour. Even if you disagree with some of these views / findings it is still super interesting to think about these issues and form your own conclusions. So I think this book is really brilliant and unique in its set up. The authors, even if a bit quaint from time to time, make a brave and bold effort to offer some general findings and insight, rather than proving insight on specific events. All statements and conclusions are supported by historic examples, so it makes an interesting read, even if you don’t agree with all conclusions. I think that a wide range of readers can benefit from the wisdom in this book although it helps if you have a good framework of history and social science as this will tie a good few things together. The book provides a readable, original look on history but some if it comes close to prose, some of the arguing deals with complex issues or topics that are only mentioned such as the Anabaptists (a topic that fascinates me tremendously). But if you give it a chance it should be well worth reading. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ An incredible ride through the chief zeitgeists of recorded history. *by J***I on 1 August 2016* An incredible ride through the chief zeitgeists of recorded history. This reads like a long-form riff or poem. It kept reminding me of Ginsberg's 'Howl', not due to any ideological or intellectual alignment of the work, but the sheer pace and speed at which so many ideas are being flung at you; kind of like standing in front of a tennis ball machine in a strong head wind. Many of the positions and musings the author may hold are ambiguously presented with a degree of arm's length and sense of distance, sometimes hinting at a through-line of reasoning and ideological compass, only to be thwarted by another bent that scrambles your coordinated assumptions on just what Will Durant's political conclusions about history are. He will say one thing that devastates the Right-Wing, only to pivot to doing the same to the Left-Wing. The amount of mileage to the gallon this text produces is remarkable. Obviously, tackling all of human civilised history is no mean feat in itself, but to do so in just over 100 pages without seeming reductionist, lazy or glib is one of another kind. In fact, it is a kaleidoscopic ride at times. Without pauses for breath or sober reflection (though you might impose those on yourself as a form of strategy of recuperation), it bulldozes through history, flagging catastrophes, wars, ideological epochs, deceased civilisations and everything in between in a way that is both harrowing and uplifting. The conclusions are apt and revealing. I won't spoil those for you, but you will have your own by the end, due to the process of joining dots you had previously not. An excellent primer for budding historians and a good long-form essay for those more experience who just enjoy good writing. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Potted history at its finest *by C***G on 3 October 2025* This is an extremely informative and interesting little book. Also alarming when you consider that not a lot changes and we seem to be trapped in an unending cycle of human behaviour that doesn’t bode well for us, or the other creatures that share this planet. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Lessons of History - The Denial of Death - Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government (Princeton Studies in Political Behavior) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/48730776-lessons-of-history](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/48730776-lessons-of-history) --- *Product available on Desertcart Great Britain* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-04-22*