Gibbon, Edward

An eighteenth-century British historian whose masterpiece The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was conceived during a tour of Italy while, as Gibbon put it, he “sat musing amidst the ruins of the Capitol.” Although largely superseded by later scholarship, his work remains a classic of English historical literature.

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Another famous man was born at Putney: Edward Gibbon, the historian.

The grandfather of Edward Gibbon died in 1736, leaving one son and two daughters.

Edward Gibbon has told us that diligence and accuracy are the only merits which an historical writer can ascribe to himself.

Before his graduation from Harvard, he had determined to lead a literary life modelled upon that of Edward Gibbon.

The autobiography of Edward Gibbon will rouse an ambitious student like the sound of a trumpet.

April 25, 2024firkin

[fur-kin ]

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