{"product_id":"rise-and-fall-9781473698666","title":"Rise and Fall","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRise and Fall\u003c\/i\u003e opens with the Akkadian Empire, which ruled over a vast expanse of the region of ancient Mesopotamia, then turns to the immense Roman Empire, where we trace back our western and eastern roots. Next Strathern describes how a great deal of western classical culture was developed in the Abbasid and Umayyid Caliphates. Then, while Europe was beginning to emerge from a period of cultural stagnation, it almost fell to a whirlwind invasion from the East, at which point we meet the Emperors of the Mongol Empire . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCombining breathtaking scope with masterful concision, Paul Strathern traces connections across four millennia and sheds new light on these major civilizations - from the Mongol Empire and the Yuan Dynasty to the Aztec and Ottoman, through to the most recent and biggest Empires: the British, Russo-Soviet and American. Charting 5,000 years of global history in ten succinct chapters, \u003ci\u003eRise and Fall\u003c\/i\u003e makes comprehensive and inspiring reading to any\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI find them hard to stop reading . . . seductive . . .  Mr. Strathern's books are well-written, clear and informed; they have a breezy wit about them - The New York Times on PHILOSOPHERS IN 90 MINUTES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eStrathern combines diligent archival research with an exemplary narrative verve and keeps the pages turning - Financial Times on DEATH IN FLORENCE\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLust and greed is a fascinating study in itself, and Paul Strathern's \u003ci\u003eDeath in Florence\u003c\/i\u003e grips the reader from the first page . . . It is an arresting and horrifying tale, and Strathern tells it with immense skill and verve - New Statesman on DEATH IN FLORENCE","brand":"Hodder \u0026 Stoughton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408809959767,"sku":"9781473698666","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473698666.jpg?v=1730504290","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/rise-and-fall-9781473698666","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}