The Shortest History of Europe

Celebrated historian John Hirst offers a fascinating exploration of the qualities that made Europe a world-changing civilization.

The Shortest History of Europe begins with a rapid overview of European civilization, describing its birth from an unlikely mixture of classical learning, Christianity, and German warrior culture. Over the centuries, this unstable blend produced highly distinctive characters – pious knights and belligerent popes, romantics spouting folklore, and revolutionaries imitating Rome – and its coming apart provided the dynamic of European history in modern times.

Accompanied by lively illustrations, The Shortest History of Europe is a clear, humorous, and thought-provoking account of a remarkable civilization.