A gripping intellectual adventure story; Sailing from Byzantium sweeps you from the deserts of Arabia to the dark forests of northern Russia; from the colorful towns of Renaissance Italy to the final moments of a millennial city under siege….Byzantium: the successor of Greece and Rome; this magnificent empire bridged the ancient and modern worlds for more than a thousand years. Without Byzantium; the works of Homer and Herodotus; Plato and Aristotle; Sophocles and Aeschylus; would never have survived. Yet very few of us have any idea of the enormous debt we owe them.The story of Byzantium is a real-life adventure of electrifying ideas; high drama; colorful characters; and inspiring feats of daring. In Sailing from Byzantium; Colin Wells tells of the missionaries; mystics; philosophers; and artists who against great odds and often at peril of their own lives spread Greek ideas to the Italians; the Arabs; and the Slavs.Their heroic efforts inspired the Renaissance; the golden age of Islamic learning; and Russian Orthodox Christianity; which came complete with a new alphabet; architecture; and one of the world’s greatest artistic traditions. The story’s central reference point is an arcane squabble called the Hesychast controversy that pitted humanist scholars led by the brilliant; acerbic intellectual Barlaam against the powerful monks of Mount Athos led by the stern Gregory Palamas; who denounced “pagan†rationalism in favor of Christian mysticism.Within a few decades; the light of Byzantium would be extinguished forever by the invading Turks; but not before the humanists found a safe haven for Greek literature. The controversy of rationalism versus faith would continue to be argued by some of history’s greatest minds. Fast-paced; compulsively readable; and filled with fascinating insights; Sailing from Byzantium is one of the great historical dramas–the gripping story of how the flame of civilization was saved and passed on.From the Hardcover edition.
#329204 in Books Viking 2017-01-24 2017-01-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.38 x 1.06 x 6.31l; 1.14 #File Name: 052542833X304 pagesViking
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. I have longed for a book just like this! In my mindBy DrJackDarwin"The Book That Changed America" made my day (month; actually)! I have longed for a book just like this! In my mind; "The Book That Changed America"; shows in a very original way how scientists learn from one another; how science is done; and how science can; and does; change the world we live in. With this specific instance of doing science; Fuller masterfully illustrates how the most world-changing idea in human history altered human thinking about itself. Plant and animal breeders have long known that selection of genetically diverse organisms changes populations in a very real way - otherwise 7.5 billion people would never be able to feed themselves! As a retired corn breeder; I cannot to this day fathom why half of Americans still have trouble understanding the reality of evolution! Reading Fuller's book might help improve this situation.Fuller's thesis illustrates how a prominent group of thinkers in 1860's Concord; MA learned that evolution via natural selection was not a guess or a whim or an alternative idea to why life on earth is as it is. Fuller showed that Darwin's dangerous idea (this expression is also the name of a book by Daniel C. Dennett; 1995) was the theoretical basis for confirming the common origin of whites and blacks. For the people of Concord; and elsewhere; Darwin's idea that humans shared a common ancestor with all of life affirmed in no uncertain terms that American slavery must be abolished!I urge readers to spread the word! This book is a must read and it's a must for discussion. Americans still have a ways to go before we truly understand how our common origin should inform how we treat one another and how we treat the diversity of life. The men and women of Concord didn't quite get there. Fuller did point out however; that Thoreau; had he recovered from the flu in 1862; may have united evolution with what he had been studying in fields and forests his entire life; ecology.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A great book about a greater bookBy BirdmanVery well researched and equally well written account of the effect of Darwins opus on America as it struggled with slavery and the civil war. A great cast of characters from diverse walks of life make the pages fly!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book is a great example of false advertisingBy lg readerThis book is a great example of false advertising. Sadly; it isn't about how The Origin of Species changed America. I am not sure what this book is about. I learned a lot of interesting things about the origins of the Civil War; John Brown; and the Transcendentalists and their tight friendship in Concord; Mass. The most interesting information that actually had something to do with the title was the writing about Asa Gray and Louis Agassiz. It wasn't deeply insightful but it was information I didn't know much about. The best chapter in the book; that actually relates to the book's title is Chapter 21. No spoilers here; just check it out in a bookstore and realize this is the best the book has to offer as he relates Asa Gray's struggles- good stuff. Pair this with the worst chapter in the book; Chapter 17; "Moods." I challenge the author (or any reader) to respond to my review and explain what this chapter has to do with the title of the book. Once again; check it out in a bookstore and I guarantee you will be scratching your head when you finish the chapter. Finally; even though the author didn't succeed in explaining how Darwin's book changed America I enjoyed many parts of the book because I am a very curious person and I learned things I didn't know; plus he writes well. I am also inspired to discover if a local park (Sanborn Park) is named after Frank Sanborn. A science center called Walden West is in the park. I had never heard of Frank Sanborn until I read this book so I suspect there is a connection since he was a friend of Thoreau's. For that connection I am grateful; and it helped me decide to give the book a three star rating.
