The Fall of Constantinople 1453 by Steven Runciman

As for style, it appeared with civilization in the title of a book ( Byzantine Style and Civilization) published in 1975, and though ‘style’ was replaced by ‘art’ in the 1981 reprint, it is perhaps the word that best captures the essence of what Runciman took from, and gave to, the appreciation of Byzantium. It is also woven into A History of the Crusades, The Sicilian Vespers, and The Fall of Constantinople, 1453. Byzantine religion is the thread that connects many other books: The Medieval Manichee The Eastern Schism The Byzantine Theocracy and The Great Church in Captivity. He wrote Byzantine Civilization and The Last Byzantine Renaissance. However, there is no doubt that style, religion, and civilization were keynotes in his conception of, and admiration for, Byzantium. The title does not even reflect the full range of Sir Steven Runciman’s Byzantine interests: his first book was on a political subject, the reign of Romanos I Lekapenos, while most of his subsequent books took him well beyond the borders and the timespan of the Byzantine Empire.

However, the second title makes sense of it all: this is a volume that honours Britiain’s most famous Byzantinist, who in his writings and his long life (1903–2000) put Byzantine style, religion, and civilization on the map for both the academic and the generally educated public. Quite a scarce book.The first, main title of this volume might seem to promise too little or too much-either a very superficial work of generalization, or a heterogeneous assortment of broadly grouped pieces too diverse and disparate to cohere. To the Greeks, the conquest meant the end of the civilisation of Byzantium, and led to the exodus of scholars stimulating the tremendous expansion of Greek studies in the European Renaissance. To the Turks, victory not only brought a new imperial capital, but guaranteed that their empire would last. The city's plight had been neglected, and negligible help was sent in this crisis. Sir Steven Runciman's (1903-2000), magisterial classic history of the fall of Constantinople in May 1453, after a siege of several weeks It came as a bitter shock to Western Christendom. 256pp, foldout map at rear as called for.

Some edge wear to top and bottom of jacket and spine, spine faded, some slight rubbing to corners, not price clipped (35s), no inscriptions, internally clean tight and almost square, overall a vg+ copy for its age.

The Fall of Constantinople 1453 by Steven Runciman