Publication
Imprint: New York : Oxford University Press, 1990, c1989. Responsibility: William Hardy McNeill. OCLC Number: 18382487. Physical: Text : 1 volume : viii, 346 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. Features: Includes appendix, bibliography, index.
Call number
History / Toynb
ISBN
019506335X / 9780195063356
Collections
CSS Library Notes
Description: One of the most remarkable thinkers of this century, Arnold Toynbee won world-wide recognition as the author of the monumental ten-volume A Study of History. Its publication and phenomenal success brought him fame and the highest praise, as the reading public proclaimed him the most renowned scholar in the world. This thought-provoking, engaging study of Toynbee, written by one of today's most eminent historians, weaves together Toynee'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 his work and his legacy for the the study of history, William H. McNeill offers both a biography and a commentary on how to write and understand history. -- from back cover
Table of Contents: Great expectations --
Balliol and the breakup of Toynbee's parental home, 1907-1911 --
Grand tour, donhood, and marriage, 1911-1914 --
The great war and the peace conference, 1914-1919 --
The Koraes professorship, 1919-1924 --
Chatham house and Ganthorpe: a new equilibrium, 1924-1930 --
Triumph and defeat, 1930-1939 --
World War II, 1939-1946 --
Fame and fortune, 1946-1955 --
Toynbee as a world figure, 1956-1965 --
The closing decade of a busy life, 1966-1975.
Location: COLLECTION: Religious Studies -- AREA: Religious Studies -- SECTION: History / Filing name: Toynbee / McNeill
Topics: In TinyCat -- See "Tags" above for our libraries topic areas. See "Subjects" below for LCSH (Library of Congress Subject Headings) (note you can tour our library via Tags or LCSH, but LCHS are not available for all items in our holdings).
FYxxxx / FY2015 /
Table of Contents: Great expectations --
Balliol and the breakup of Toynbee's parental home, 1907-1911 --
Grand tour, donhood, and marriage, 1911-1914 --
The great war and the peace conference, 1914-1919 --
The Koraes professorship, 1919-1924 --
Chatham house and Ganthorpe: a new equilibrium, 1924-1930 --
Triumph and defeat, 1930-1939 --
World War II, 1939-1946 --
Fame and fortune, 1946-1955 --
Toynbee as a world figure, 1956-1965 --
The closing decade of a busy life, 1966-1975.
Location: COLLECTION: Religious Studies -- AREA: Religious Studies -- SECTION: History / Filing name: Toynbee / McNeill
Topics: In TinyCat -- See "Tags" above for our libraries topic areas. See "Subjects" below for LCSH (Library of Congress Subject Headings) (note you can tour our library via Tags or LCSH, but LCHS are not available for all items in our holdings).
FYxxxx / FY2015 /
Physical description
viii, 346 p.; 24 cm
Description
Examines the life of the eminent British historian, analyzing the merits and shortcomings of his many works and his often troubled personal life.
Language
Original language
English
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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
This is a book that many more people should read! Arnold Toynbee set out to write a book that could be used as a structure for continuing studies of how large human societies with consistent characteristics (civilizations) could be studied. He said at the beginning that this was a large task, and
Many specialists in smaller areas of study had their feathers ruffled by his classifications and his conclusions. the most obvious ruffling occurring when he classified Judaism as a "Fossil" civilization, surviving a very long time, and still maintaining exploration of concerns that had been with it for at least two thousand years. This obscured a great deal of the rest of the book in the minds of many reviewers.
However there is a great deal of the rest of the book, and William McNeill has made a good attempt at writing the life of a necessarily controversial figure in the sub-genre of world history. He is worthy of his subject.
In fact, McNeill's own eminence in the field of World history, leads one to think that the pendulum may be swinging back towards a Toynbeean view of the history of the planet. I hope so, as it always made sense to me.
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many examples would be needed to explain the assertions made. So, in the end it took 37 years to finish it. While writing the book, he changed some of the conclusions he had drawn in the earlier part of the book. that says something about his commitment to scholarship at the expense of ego.Many specialists in smaller areas of study had their feathers ruffled by his classifications and his conclusions. the most obvious ruffling occurring when he classified Judaism as a "Fossil" civilization, surviving a very long time, and still maintaining exploration of concerns that had been with it for at least two thousand years. This obscured a great deal of the rest of the book in the minds of many reviewers.
However there is a great deal of the rest of the book, and William McNeill has made a good attempt at writing the life of a necessarily controversial figure in the sub-genre of world history. He is worthy of his subject.
In fact, McNeill's own eminence in the field of World history, leads one to think that the pendulum may be swinging back towards a Toynbeean view of the history of the planet. I hope so, as it always made sense to me.
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