In this book [Cooper] distils a miscellany of intelligence ... Cooper addresses a new public in new ways, through a mastery of anecdotage and accessible storytelling.
It’s impossible to describe the end of a society while ignoring its beginning and growth, so this book turns out to be a straightforward history of civilization in general. That’s a tall order, but Cooper gives it a valiant, if fairly conventional effort, emphasizing great men and war.
