Arnold J. Toynbee A Life |
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| Author:
| McNeill, William H. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-19-505863-5 |
| Publication Date: | Apr 1989 |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press, Incorporated
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | USD $30.00 |
Book Description:
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Arnold Toynbee was one of the most remarkable thinkers of the 20th century. At the height of his fame, he was the most renowned scholar in the world, acclaimed as the author of the monumental, 10-volume A Study of History. In this book William H. McNeill weaves together Toynbee's intellectual accomplishments and the personal difficulties of his private life, providing both an intimate portrait of a leading thinker and a judicious evaluation of Toynbee's work and his legacy for the...
More DescriptionArnold Toynbee was one of the most remarkable thinkers of the 20th century. At the height of his fame, he was the most renowned scholar in the world, acclaimed as the author of the monumental, 10-volume A Study of History. In this book William H. McNeill weaves together Toynbee's intellectual accomplishments and the personal difficulties of his private life, providing both an intimate portrait of a leading thinker and a judicious evaluation of Toynbee's work and his legacy for the study of history. McNeill illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of A Study of History as well as countless other works, examining the responses of other historians and Toynbee's attempts to modify his Study to answer these criticisms. McNeill also examines Toynbee's tormented personal life, including his troubled marriage to Rosalind Murray (the daughter of Gilbert Murray), and the suicide of his son Anthony. What emerges is both poignant and thought-provoking, a biography and a commentary about how history is written and how it should be pursued.