Arnold Toynbee's analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations has been acknowledged as one of the great achievements of twentieth-century scholarship. D.C. Somervell's abridgement of this monumental work is a great achievement in its own right.
Of Somervell's work, Toynbee wrote, 'The reader now has at his command a uniform abridgement of the whole book, made by a clear mind that has not only mastered the contents but has entered into the writer's outlook and purpose.'
'McNeill's book will be read, and enjoyed, for its own sake. I hope it will revive interest in Toynbee.'
The Advertiser, Australia
