Product Description

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 barbaric wars that plagued the European continent, Ireland's monks and scribes laboriously and lovingly preserved the written treasury of the West. Many great pieces of Greek and Roman literature, almost sure to be lost in the chaos of the Middle Ages, were saved by the monks of Ireland. This brilliant audio edition of the bestselling book is read by acclaimed actor Liam Neeson.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1506666 in Books
• Published on: 1997-02-03
• Released on: 1997-02-03
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From Amazon.com
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 treasury. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture.

From Publishers Weekly
With the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, Ireland, according to the author, "had one moment of unblemished glory"-when Irish monks copied almost all of Western classical poetry, history, oratory, philosophy and commentary. But this book is more than the story of monks preserving manuscripts; it is an irreverent look back at how Ireland came to be. Celts who had traversed Europe, Irish warriors and their women were primitive and blatantly sexual. Next came a taming of the land with the help of St. Patrick, who hated slavery and loved scholarship. Patrick was followed by St. Columcille, a great lover of books who became embroiled in a war and, as penance, exiled himself to the island of Iona, off Scotland. It was here that Ireland became "Europe's publisher," as other warrior-monks followed Columcille's example and began to colonize barbarized Europe. They put Ireland in the vanguard of intellectual leadership, a position the Irish would not surrender until the Viking invasion of the 11th century. Cahill (A Literary Guide to Ireland) has written a scholarly, yet cheeky, book that will have strong appeal to Celtophiles. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
We usually associate the preservation of Greek and Roman learning with the Muslim world, but here Cahill brings to light the vital role also played by Irish monks and scribes during the time of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.