BY WILL DURANT
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time
Heroes of History
The Story of Philosophy
Transition
The Pleasures of Philosophy
Adventures in Genius
BY WILL AND ARIEL DURANT
The Story of Civilization
I. OUR ORIENTAL HERITAGE
II. THE LIFE OF GREECE
III. CAESAR AND CHRIST
IV. THE AGE OF FAITH
V. THE RENAISSANCE
VI. THE REFORMATION
VII. THE AGE OF REASON BEGINS
VIII. THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV
IX. THE AGE OF VOLTAIRE
X. ROUSSEAU AND REVOLUTION
XI. THE AGE OF NAPOLEON
Interpretations of Life
The Lessons of History
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time
WILL DURANT
Compiled and edited by John Little
Simon & Schuster
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Copyright © 2002 by John Little, Monica Ariel Mihell, and William James Durant Easton
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DESIGNED BY PAUL DIPPOLITO
Manufactured in the United States of America
7 9 10 8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Durant,Will, date.
The greatest minds and ideas of all time/Will Durant; compiled and edited by John Little.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Civilization—History. 2. Intellectual life—History. I. Little, John R., date. II. Title.
CB69.D86 2002
909—DC21 2002075852
ISBN: 978-0-743-23553-2
eISBN-13: 978-1-439-10714-0
www.SimonandSchuster.com
If a man is fortunate he will, before he dies, gather up as much as he can of his civilized heritage and transmit it to his children.And to his final breath he will be grateful for this inexhaustible legacy, knowing that it is our nourishing mother and our lasting life.
—WILL DURANT
Keeping the above observation of Will Durant’s in mind, I should dedicate this compendium of the peaks of our human heritage to all children, and more prejudicially, to my children: Riley,Taylor, Brandon, and Benjamin; that they may learn and experience the noble strain in humanity and learn that man is capable of such great things that even the gods might be envious.
—JOHN LITTLE
And to Edward and Benny Easton,whose grandparents worked so hard through so many decades to deliver this gift to them.