The West: A New History of an Old Idea

(Hardback)

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Prize-winning Classical historian - of half-Chinese, half-Irish ancestry - on how 'the West' became the idea that dominated history, told through the stories of nine fascinating lives, for fans of Niall Ferguson, Peter Frankopan and Edward Said Does Western civilization really stretch back from modernity through the Enlightenment to the classical glories of Greece and Rome We learn this story of Western history at school and take it for granted, but is it true In this bold, story-driven retelling of global history, prize-winning historian Naoise Mac Sweeny debunks the myths and origin stories that underpin the history we thought we knew. Told through nine fascinating figures who each played a role in the creation of the Western idea -- from Herodotus a mixed-race refugee, to Mary Fisher, the Yorkshire housemaid who charmed an Ottoman sultan, and from Gladstone, with his private passion for epic poetry, to the medieval Arab scholar Al-Kindi - the subjects are a mind-expanding blend of unsung heroes and familiar faces viewed afresh. Each life tells us something unexpected about the age in which it was lived and offers us a piece of the puzzle of how the modern idea of the West developed - and why we've misunderstood it for too long. As a new world order emerges from the shocks of pandemics and populism, to chart a future for the West we must properly understand its past.

Reviews

One by one she takes on hoary old myths, explodes them with panache, and leaves us instead with a richer, fuller understanding of epochs, worldviews and fascinating individuals from the past... Lots of people will enjoy this clever and thought-provoking account * Guardian *
A forceful, well-written book, in which Mac Sweeney shows her command of a vast sweep of history -- Daily Telegraph
A bold, sweeping bird's-eye view of thousands of years of history that provides a truly global perspective of the past. A fantastic achievement -- Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of THE SILK ROADS
Bright, expansive, and iconoclastic, this deliciously witty book has the potential to upset the applecart of "Western Civilisation" itself ... A magnificent achievement -- Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb, award-winning historian and broadcaster
Awe-inspiring... Deeply researched, wonderfully well written and immensely thought-provoking, this is an important book which reshapes our understanding of the past -- Dr Janina Ramirez, betselling author of FEMINA
A book to savour ... challenges us to rethink what it means to be of the West. The writing is as accessible as the argument is pointed -- Sir Lawrence Freedman, author of STRATEGY: A HISTORY
Sets the record straight on the modern myth of Western Civilisation. Authoritative and impassioned, this glorious book takes us beyond prejudice and preconception to a new story about the world in which we live -- Prof. Josephine Quinn, author of IN SEARCH OF THE PHOENICIANS
Incredibly successful and impressive... An honest, painstaking and thrilling story that upends almost everything we think we know about the world... I cannot recommend this book more -- Jared Yates Sexton, author of AMERICAN RULE and THE MIDNIGHT KINGDOM
A highly readable, vigorous repudiation of the Western-centric school of history * Kirkus (starred review) *

Author Bio

Naoise Mac Sweeney is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Vienna having previously held posts at both Harvard and Cambridge University, and has won numerous academic awards for her work on classical antiquity and origin myths. Her previous book was shortlisted for major awards, and she has written comment pieces for The Times, appeared on Thinking Aloud on Radio 3 and was a reporter on BBC4's Digging for Britain TV series with Alice Roberts.