{"product_id":"2026100011394-secondhand-civilisation-a-personal-view","title":"Civilisation: A Personal View","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Very good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Slipcase: Good\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat does it mean to be civilised? In Civilisation: A Personal View, the eminent art historian and critic Kenneth Clark presents a sweeping, magisterial journey through the history of Western civilisation, from the fall of Rome to the modern age, arguing that the answer lies in the great artistic, architectural, and intellectual achievements that have defined European culture across the centuries. Born from his landmark BBC television series of the same name, the work chronicles the rise and decline of civilisations through the lens of their art — from the soaring cathedrals of the Middle Ages and the blazing humanism of the Renaissance to the Romantic movement and the Industrial Revolution — presenting each era with vivid authority and deeply personal conviction.\n\nClark's prose is at once lyrical and erudite, carrying the reader through centuries of human endeavour with the confidence of a man who spent a lifetime in the company of great works. His style is unapologetically personal — opinionated, passionate, and beautifully articulate — illustrating how civilisation is not merely a political or economic construct, but a fragile, luminous thing sustained by the courage of the creative spirit. This Folio Society edition, a collector's treasure in its own right, stands as a testament to the enduring power of Clark's vision — and leaves the reader to wonder whether the values that built the great cathedrals and painted the Sistine Chapel can truly survive the pressures of the modern world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50572329091291,"sku":"2026100011394-SECONDHAND","price":30.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/827b2e5b-72fe-4aa4-81e3-fa658b8ac297.png?v=1791166376","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100011394-secondhand-civilisation-a-personal-view","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}