Ariel Reviews

"Tradition is the voice of time, and time is the medium of selection; a cautious mind will respect their verdict, for only youth knows better than twenty centuries." - Will Durant.

Subtitled "A History of Roman Civilization and of Christianity from their beginnings to A.D. 325", *Caesar and Christ* is the third volume in Will Durant's monumental *Story of Civilization*, published in 1944. According to the editor, this single tome was "the result of twenty-five years' preparation and five years' writing".

After a short introduction on Rome's Etruscan origins, about which even less was known more than fifty years ago, the book surveys "all aspects of Roman life -politics, economics, literature, art, morals", philosophy and the sciences in five chronologically overlapping books: The Republic 508-30 B.C.; The Revolution 145-30 BC; The Principate 30 B.C. - A.D. 192; The Empire 146 B.C. - A.D. 192 (a hundred pages on the provinces, with Chapter XXV on "Rome and Judea 132 B.C. - A.D. 135" framing the last book); and The Youth of Christianity 4 B.C. - A.D. 325, dealing with the life of Jesus, the Apostles, the growth of the Church and its gradual conquest of the Roman State.

For anyone not familiar with 19th century scholarship, to which Durant was the proud heir, it is difficult to imagine the scope, depth and outright majesty of this *Story of Civilization*. It was written at a time when historians still dared to produce what Durant calls "synthetic history, which studies all the major phases of a people's life, work and culture in their simultaneous operation". (For an overview of academic history today, and vague pointers to the authors who are trying to revive it, I recommend Keith Winschuttle's 1996 book, *The Killing of History*.)

Of course, you will not find here references to the latest hot PhD paper on the construction of gender among the labouring classes in the late Principate A.D. 189-192; nor will you be treated to stunning colour photographies of the latest pieces of mosaic dug up at Zeugma or similar places. But Durant more than compensates for the latter by his intimacy with the writings of the period and the literarily great historians who preceded him, such as Mommsen, the author of a five-volume history of Rome, or Edward Gibbon, whom he considered "the greatest of historians".

As in all the first five volumes of the series (but, unfortunately, not the last six), about two dozen books are singled out with asterisks in the eight-page bibliography, as recommendations for further study. Quite tellingly, most of them are included in such collections as Britannica's *Great Books of the Western World* - such as Aristotle's *Politics*, Herodotus's *History*or Virgil's *Poems*. Strangely though, a few of the works on which Durant lavishes the most praise in the body of the book fail to get the accolade: Caesar's *De Bello Gallico*, which deserves "a high place in Latin literature"; Livy's *History of Rome*, "a masterpiece in prose"; Plutarch's *Lives*, of which he says that "Greece has not left us a more precious work"; or even Gibbon's *Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire* itself.

I am not too fond of Roman history: what really matters to me the Romans had very little of, with their stagnating or degenerating science, their distrust of freedom and their monumental, state-sponsored and state-glorifying art. Large portions of the book feel too much like the eight-o'clock news in togas, with their stories of corruption, vice, murder, political intrigue, demagoguery, warfare, bread and circuses. The Romans were the ultimate welfare statists, creating classes of dependents with their distributions of free corn and destroying the productive basis of their civilization with the taxes needed to pay for them.

But Durant has much more to offer than such sad adumbrations of our own times, as he acquaints us with the great figures that managed to emerge in this implacable, statist civilization, many of them Stoic philosophers, like Cicero, Seneca and Epictetus; and others historians, jurists, dramatists, and even Emperors.

As for Jesus, to whom a masterfully concise twenty-page chapter is devoted, he is treated with a Jeffersonian reverence, but as a man who worked miracles that "were in most cases the result of suggestion", who "could forgive any fault but unbelief", "cursed the men and cities that would not receive his gospel" and taught Jews (and Jews only) a way that provided "none but the vaguest warrants" for the theology that Paul built around it.

In addition to being a wonderful reading experience, *Caesar and Rome* has given me much more respect for the civilization that offered the world the Pax Romana, latin, Stoic rulers and a fund of political and legal experience that would form an important part of the intellectual equipment of the Founding Fathers.

(Note: I do not know whether the maps in the latest edition are any better, but those in mine - the sixteenth printing from the 1960s - are a disgrace. For instance, the map of Italy shows the Arno, but not the Po, probably because the valley already had too many names in it. A good historical atlas is a recommended companion for the series.)

Although this book is miniature it is packed with information about your sun-sign. The feature of this book I enjoyed most was that it paired your sign with each of the other eleven signs (including itself; Cancer and Cancer). For example Cancer and Leo. It then described the chances of a relationship between the two. Another feature I enjoyed was the different chapters about Cancer. Such as your talents and careers, body and mind, and Cancer at a glance. I know that you will enjoy this small book as much as I have.

It was a hot day. Me and Dally and Johnnycake went run and chaseing little kids.

anyone interested in this artist's sculpture must own this book. the graphics and the bilingual text are just superb. the thought process behind the creation of the work and the significance of each piece is well developed. there is nothing else out there like this, and many of us have been waiting for this book since 1984, when brewster gallery in nyc produced a compendium of zuniga's print works.

Being a cat aficionado and having owned cats all my life; this was a no brainier. The little pop-up book is simply adorable with cute pictures of cats and kittens; sure, this book will not make your intellect grow and it sure will not help you become smarter. However, the book is definitely a must have for anyone who loves cats. The font selected for this book is very easy to read and the colors selected are bright and positive which are the right colors for a book about cats.

This is a study of the disharmony between the Federalists and Unitarians in the province of La Rioja and to a lesser extent the whole of Argentina during the political formative years of 1853 to 1870. The heart of the work is contained in the 1860's when the Federalist Caudillos of La Rioja led rebellions against the government of the Unitarians of Buenos Aires. The nature of the disunity and the outcome are examined from the perspective that the significant regional and societal uniqueness of the Riojana aristocracy and the relationship with the gauchos was the major ingredient for change. The two party interests and alignments created platforms, Unitarismo and Federalismo, that were diametrically opposed. De la Fuente tells this story from the perspective of the commonfolk - the gauchos. Ariel de la Fuente begins his study with an analysis of the Caudillos and the causes that led to the formation of the National State of Argentina and moves quickly in placing the Unitarians and Federalists under the microscope. In this second chapter the author furthers his argument that the significance of the interior residents away from the urban center of Buenos Aires, fully one-half of Argentina's populace at that time, with its repeated rebellions against the Unitarian government impacted the political formation more than any other movement. The fourth chapter, "Gauchos, Montoneros and Montoneras" is a provocative dissection of these people and their modes of rebellion, which is followed up by the fifth chapter's explanation of how the Caudillos (Federalists) were able to cement their own movement. It is not until the sixth chapter that the author's creative usage of political jingles and folklore really becomes apparent. This original use of popular political ditties and folkloric tales is essential to the overarching thesis that it was outside of Buenos Aires that the most significant political growth and change occurred. Ariel de la Fuente does not rely solely upon these postmodernist tradition parcels for his evidence. There is an abundance of the traditionalist primary source materials, such as land records, court documents, and diaries, which will no doubt appease those who find it difficult to accept as hard evidence the oral traditions and folktales in explaining the successful political outcome for the Federalists. The author recognizes that success of the Federalist's movement was due in no small part with the gauchos' ability to become more than an ostensible member of the political process. De la Fuente has assembled a masterful piece of historiographical text that will excite historians of this field, furthermore, this re-worked dissertation is also of enough literary quality that bookstore browsers and history aficionados will not be intimidated. The openness of the text is a reflection of the liberal nature of the source material and the creative strength of the author's interpretive ability. This is without exception a scholarly publication, which might overwhelm the lay person at different intervals. The final two chapters demand that the reader have at the very least a working knowledge of the historical background Argentina, both in political terms and social constructs. Without some grounding in this area it is easy to fall victim to the author's opinions alone. For any students of Latin American/South American history Children of Facundo provides an intimate regional history that is well thought and cogently argued. More attention and explanation might have been made in regard to the songs, stories and oral culture earlier on in the book. After reading chapter six, I connected much better with the first half of the study. This may simply be a matter of personal taste, but I prefer a breakdown of the ethnic structure early on in this type of study, this allows me to create better mental images of the society throughout the read. By the end of the book I had no difficulty in accepting De la Fuente's process of argument and his overall conclusion, this work is a success.

I really enjoyed this tape - listening to their voices makes my feel good about myself. I highly recommend this tape and their book "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work." (I recently purchased this book on Amazon and read it in 3 hours) Their words have made a huge difference in my life!

I like reading this book! It's about a girl named Ariel
from a small club called the Disney Girls. She likes
singing, and is going to be in the Christmas concert.
However, ten days before the play, a relative gets sick,
then Ariel will have to cancel the Christmas concert.
What will happen? Ariel has many things to choose in this book.
It was very fun to read this book, and I like to read it over and over again!

The photographs in Paul Lipari's Dolphins are very nice. The writing style is easy comprehend and very informative.

This is a very enjoyable book by Will & Ariel Durant who gave us a wonderful account of their fascinating lives together. In many respects, Will Durant was not only a great historian and philosopher, but also a great and gentle man who was fortunate to have the love and support of his outstanding wife, family, and a huge supporting cast of friends and colleagues.

You'll learn about meetings with Einstein, debates with Clarence Darrow and Bertrand Russell, dinners with Charlie Chaplin and Will Rogers. From turn of the century New York and Greenwich Village, through both world wars, the Depression, you name it. These people lived through it and participated fully. The book is worth it just for the oppurtunity to see the world unfold through the eyes of a man who lived from 1885 to 1981.

One thing that also impressed me throughout this book was the Durant's unwavering honesty about their evolving lifestyles, viewpoints, and beliefs over the course of their lives. They were among those rare people who fully understood where they were they were headed and never forgot where they'd been. They had the courage to face their own inconsistencies and doubts, and did it with style and grace as the decades, with all their incredible changes, flowed by. These were tireless people who loved life and humanity, and watched as humanity went from wagons to the moon.

This book overflows with stellar intellect, endearing humility, and a couple's incredible love for each other during a marriage that lasted for 69 years. An awesome dual autobiography!