Shelfari: The Site for Books & ReadersShelfari Logo

How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History)
 

How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History)

by Thomas Cahill

The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift, and a book in the best tradition of popular history -- the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe.

Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he... (read more)

Top tags: history,  ireland,  non-fiction,  nonfiction,  medieval history (all tags)

Readers

Groups

  • FrugalReader.com Members Discussion Group
  • Mostly Biography, Classics & History Discussion Group
  • History Non-Fiction Discussion Group
  • Celtic Christianity Discussion Group
  • US Constitution Study Group Discussion Group
  • Brilliant Babes (And Dudes) Who Read Selectively Discussion Group

Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Wolfflet
  • Rated 5 stars

“Well written and accurate. Thomas Cahill did a wonderful job of making history fun!”

Wolfflet’s full review »
more reviews »

Didn’t Like It

Shanin
  • Rated 2 stars

“I read this around the St. Patrick's Day holiday. It was interesting to read about how the faith of the Irish preserved civilizations literacy. Who would have thought?”

Shanin’s full review »
more reviews »
Community:
  • Rated 3.996032 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 3 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • Callie B

    callie b said:

    “I loved the way this author talks about this time period where monks lived between working in the scriptorium and the garden. (My ideal lifestyle.) This is a beautiful description of how monks and scribes helped save the classic works of literature by transcribing them. The Irish were enamored by more than just the Christan Scriptures. I like the insights this book gives. Cahill shows how the legacy of the Roman Empire, Celtic traditions and variances of Christianity in the medieval times affected the scriptoriums and life in Ireland.”

    posted Saturday, March 22 2008
  • Boots Newman

    boots newman said:

    “A book along the same line of thinking as this one is "How the Scots Invented the Modern World", subtitled "The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It" by Arthur Herman. If you enjoyed Cahills' book, you might enjoy reading this one about the Scots (if you can get over that rather boastful subtitle.)”

    posted Thursday, November 15 2007
  • MissLapin

    misslapin said:

    “History with humor. Cahill has an easy accessible style that makes him engaging for most readers, although it should be noted that if you're a real history buff, his analysis isn't particularly nuanced. He also provides a great list of books for further reading on the topic.”

    posted Thursday, August 30 2007
© 2008 Shelfari, Inc. | Portions of Shelfari.com are Copyright © 1996-2008 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy