How the Irish Saved Civilization
Subtitle: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe
Edition: 1st Anchor Books Trade Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books, Doubleday
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 246
ISBN-13: 9780385418492
Subjects: Learning and scholarship -- History -- Medieval, 500-1500; Civilization, Classical -- Study and teaching -- Ireland; Books -- Ireland -- History -- 400-1400; Manuscripts -- Ireland -- History; Monastic libraries -- Ireland; Transmission of texts; Scriptoria -- Ireland; Ireland -- Civilization -- To 1172; Europe -- Civilization -- Irish influences
First sentence: The word Irish is seldom coupled with the word civilization.
Description: From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne - the "dark      ages" - learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European        continent. The great heritage of western civilization - from the Greek and      Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works - would have been utterly lost     were it not for the holy men and women of unconquered Ireland.

In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but       little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of       saints and scholars," the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here,   far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes         laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the west's written treasures.   With the return of stability in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental  in spreading learning.

Thus the Irish not only were conservators of civilization, but    became shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on western      culture.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: How Real Is History?
pagenum: 1; label: I
title: The End of the World: How Rome Fell--and Why
pagenum: 9; label: II
title: What Was Lost: The Complexities of the Classical Tradition
pagenum: 33; label: III
title: A Shifting World of Darkness: Unholy Ireland
pagenum: 69; label: IV
title: Good News From Far Off: The First Missionary
pagenum: 99; label: V
title: A Solid World of Light: Holy Ireland
pagenum: 121; label: VI
title: What Was Found: How the Irish Saved Civilization
pagenum: 145; label: VII
title: The End of the World: Is There Any Hope?
pagenum: 197; title: Pronunciation Guide to Key Irish Words
pagenum: 219; title: Bibliographical Sources
pagenum: 221; title: Chronology
pagenum: 231; title: Acknowledgments
pagenum: 235; title: Index
pagenum: 239