November 9, 2004

Last line

It was among the ruins of the Capitol that I first conceived the idea of a work which has amused and exercised near twenty years of my life, and which, however inadequate to my own wishes, I finally deliver to the curiosity and candour of the public.

Posted by sheila
Comments

Something by l'enfant?

Posted by: Curtis at November 9, 2004 2:45 PM

No. Actually - this is a huge work of non-fiction.

Posted by: red at November 9, 2004 3:00 PM

I figured. its gotta be something about the design of DC... Am I wrong on that assumption?

Posted by: Curtis at November 9, 2004 3:01 PM

Yes, you are wrong. :)

Posted by: red at November 9, 2004 3:11 PM

Is it The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire?.. by erm.. whatsisname.. you know.. erm..

Posted by: peteb at November 9, 2004 3:16 PM

peteb:

Yes! Edward Gibbon.

Posted by: red at November 9, 2004 3:21 PM

That's the one!. For some reason 'stamp-collecting' springs to mind when I think of his name..

Can't take too much credit for that though.. by pure coincidence I happened to see a series of short films of actors reading from great historians' work recently and Ed was one of the chosen ones.

Posted by: peteb at November 9, 2004 3:27 PM

Actually, to split hairs and correct PeteB, the title of Gibbon's massive work is The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, not the rise and fall.

Posted by: Dave J at November 9, 2004 5:52 PM

Oh, that's right - I didn't even notice that it was incorrect.

Good thing I am not a copyeditor.

That book is such a SCARY accomplishment. So good - but it's almost TOO big and TOO GOOD. I can't even comprehend it.

Posted by: red at November 9, 2004 5:54 PM

Split away Dave.. I had a slight doubt about the title but when Sheila gave it the OK.. I thought.. huh.. maybe I got it right after all.

La-la-la-la.. I can't hear you! ;)

Posted by: peteb at November 9, 2004 6:22 PM