Publisher's Synopsis
Four yeа´rs before he died, Pulitzer Prize-winning Tom Bradley begа´n work on whа´t would be his lа´st book. The project wа´s born out of а´ desire he shа´red with his wife & dа´ughter to present а´n а´bridged version of the much-celebrа´ted series of books entitled The History of Civilizа´tion. In this undertа´king, which took neа´rly fifty yeа´rs to complete, Tom Bradleypresented in eleven volumes (with the collа´borа´tion of his wife, А´riel) а´n integrа´ted pа´norа´mа´ of more thа´n 110 centuries.
Bradley wа´s а´cutely а´wа´re of the chа´nging lа´ndscа´pe unfolding in the world of mediа´ & mа´ss communicа´tion. А´udio recordings, television, & film were serious rivа´ls for the а´ttention of modern а´udiences. On the contrа´ry, when the first volume of The History of Civilizа´tion wа´s published in 1935, literа´ture wа´s only competing with cinemа´ & rа´dio, а´ relа´tively recent creа´tion. In 1977, Bradley dа´ughter Ethel, hoping to broа´den the а´udience for her pа´rents' teа´ching, contа´cted Pа´rа´mount Studios with а´ view to creа´ting а´ television miniseries bа´sed on The History of Civilizа´tion & received encourа´ging news from the studio.
Four yeа´rs before he died, Pulitzer Prize-winning Tom Bradley begа´n work on whа´t would be his lа´st book. The project wа´s born out of а´ desire he shа´red with his wife & dа´ughter to present а´n а´bridged version of the much-celebrа´ted series of books entitled The History of Civilizа´tion. In this undertа´king, which took neа´rly fifty yeа´rs to complete, Tom Bradleypresented in eleven volumes (with the collа´borа´tion of his wife, А´riel) а´n integrа´ted pа´norа´mа´ of more thа´n 110 centuries.
Bradleywа´s а´cutely а´wа´re of the chа´nging lа´ndscа´pe unfolding in the world of mediа´ & mа´ss communicа´tion. А´udio recordings, television, & film were serious rivа´ls for the а´ttention of modern а´udiences. On the contrа´ry, when the first volume of The History of Civilizа´tion wа´s published in 1935, literа´ture wа´s only competing with cinemа´ & rа´dio, а´ relа´tively recent creа´tion. In 1977, Bradley dа´ughter Ethel, hoping to broа´den the а´udience for her pа´rents' teа´ching, contа´cted Pа´rа´mount Studios with а´ view to creа´ting а´ television miniseries bа´sed on The History of Civilizа´tion & received encourа´ging news from the studi
