Will & Ariel Durant | Historians who changed History

Come, let me tell you of my favorite historians of all time - Will and Ariel Durant. Their books were once mandatory to any proper history collection, and even now are unmatched in worldly content. No textbook or "world historian" has ever come close to their monumental achievement.

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wiki:
William James "Will" Durant (/dəˈrænt/; November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) was an American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant, and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy (1926), described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy".[1]
He conceived of philosophy as total perspective or seeing things sub specie totius, a phrase inspired by Spinoza's sub specie aeternitatis.[2] He sought to unify and humanize the great body of historical knowledge, which had grown voluminous and become fragmented into esoteric specialties, and to vitalize it for contemporary application.[3]
The Durants were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

The Story of Civilization, by husband and wife Will and Ariel Durant, is an eleven-volume set of books covering Western history for the general reader. The volumes sold well for many years, and sets of them were frequently offered by book clubs. An unabridged audiobook production of all eleven volumes was produced by Books On Tape Inc. and was read by Alexander Adams (aka Grover Gardner).
The series was written over a span of more than four decades. It totals four million words across nearly 10,000 pages, but is incomplete. In the first volume (Our Oriental Heritage, which covers the history of the East through 1933), Will Durant stated that he wanted to include the history of the West through the early 20th century. However, the series ends with The Age of Napoleon because the Durants both died – she in her 80s and he in his 90s – before they could complete additional volumes.
The first six volumes of The Story of Civilization are credited to Will Durant alone, with Ariel recognized only in the Acknowledgements. Beginning with The Age of Reason Begins, Ariel is credited as a co-author.
The series won a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 with the 10th volume in the series, "Rousseau and Revolution."
In the preface to the first volume, Durant states his intention to make the series in 5 volumes, although this would not turn out to be the case.
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Hashtags: #History #Durant #StoryOfCivilization #Durants #historians

[JoeWDye]

in my humble opinion the best parts of his writing is the wit, humor, and passion.

[garymckeithen]

I am a history major and read all of these books. I recommend them to everybody that is a serious student of history.

[steveshare]

I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing the Durants when I was in high school as part of an assignment. Being invited into their home to speak with them for an hour was an unforgettable experience. So sad they've been largely ignored more recently--they had (and have) so much of value to say.

[FullCircleResearch]

Thank you for remembering Will & Ariel. Will Durant's "Story of Philosophy" which I read as a teenager fascinated me and caused me to want to study that discipline. Will Durant was a Franco-American, a descendant of French-Canadians who crossed the border into New England (and other states) mostly in the 1865-1930 period. Next year, I am publishing a history of this criminally neglected episode in the industrial and immigration history of the U.S. Like Durant I am someone with a background in philosophy who is writing history. I am planning to emulate Will's & Ariel's careful documentation of sources. Thanks again for calling attention to these important figures in the literary and intellectual history of the 20th century.

[jasonblankenship]

Love these books. Mentioned them to my professor and his reply was, “excellent choice! He’s a historian’s historian.”

[bart-v]

"Our Oriental Heritage" opened the door to Taoism for me, and that changed my entire life. One of the most important books I've ever read. Thank you, Will Durant!

[russb]

The Story of Civilisation is my all time favourite set of books.  The video does not comment on the Durant's style of writing which is a pleasure to read and contains timeless wisdom.

[kegza]

I'm reading the second book in the series right now. I fell in love with Will and Ariel's work before I'd even finished the first page of Our Oriental Heritage. I know already that I will feel great sadness when I finish the final one. But until then, countless chapters of an immensely informative and beautiful journey await

[athenassigil]

These books heavily influenced my youth, way back in the 70s and 80s. I have a few of their books in my collection, but will find the rest, soon, at used book stores. The Durant's work is monumental and should not be forgotten. ..

[insouciantFox]

Ran into The Age of Napoleon at a used book sale. One of the best purchases I have ever made.

[oldergeologist]

Finding the Durants was an epiphany for me. My biggest problem was trying to remember all the information presented in each page. I eventually took the path of enjoying it as I read it and not worrying about retaining facts.

[chrisparker]

I take issue with your characterization of the Durants' writing as being dense and more for reference than pleasure. The prose is clear and concise, and laced with gentle humor. I find the series very accessible.

[BallyBoy]

I LOVE Will & Ariel Durrant. He is the truest historian to me. Forget what the historian estabishment then thought. He wasn't perfect in his view of history, nobody was. But he was utmostly sincere, and for that he has my utmost respect.

[Nik-ylgj]

Thanks man, I'm going to check out these books

[mikevieira]

Been loving Durant audiobooks here on YT. Wondered who he was. Thanks for this video.

[willfreese]

Among the first history I read. I hope to reread it again with a lifetime of experience this time.

[nathanlamb]

“Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing things historians usually record; while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry and even whittle statues. The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks. Historians are pessimists because they ignore the banks of the river.” - Will and Ariel Durant

[johnmurdoch]

I read Life of Greece in high school and it really got me..its wonderful

[erudite]

Thank you for this instructive breakdown on Will and Ariel Durant's work. The breadth of his erudition is something that every historian should aspire to. It's a shame that very few people have ever heard about him. The love between Will and Ariel is also very inspiring. No doubt they were soul mates.

[jorgedominguez]

I found and bought 9 out of the 11 volumes of civilization in a goodwill all under 8 bucks. thank you for this video!