Hello everyone. So, I used to be a reader in high school but after graduating three years ago, I have largely stopped reading for the most part. I want to get into the hobby again because I literally have felt empty these past few years without it. In order to get back into the hobby I have compiled a large list of classics (listed in chronological order) which I want to read and go through. In addition to doing this I am also going to begin keeping a reading journal in order keep track of everything I read and I want to start with these books.
Many people might think me foolish for beginning reading as a hobby with a long list of difficult classics but I want to do so for two reasons: 1) Classical literature is the foundation upon which our contemporary literature is based, and they obviously came first, so I thought it would make sense to begin with them, and 2) I am mainly interested in classic literature and do plan on rereading many of these books throughout my life.
This is not the point of these questions however. The main thing I wanted to ask is how many people here have heard of a long historical series called "The Story of Civilization" by husband and wife historians Will and Ariel Durant? This massively long set of books was given to me as a gift by my grandfather back when I graduated high school and I have not actually read them yet. Since I am interested in history almost as much as I am interested in literature I have thought a lot about first reading these books before I begin my list of classics in order to provide me with an in depth examination of history that will massively aid me when it comes to reading The Bible, Homer, Confucius, Plato, Virgil, Dante, Shakespeare, Voltaire, and all of the other greats.
The other question I also have to ask in addition to this one though is whether or not this is worth it. The Durants' books were published between 1935-75 so they are, needless to say, out-dated in many aspects. I did some research and discovered that many people like Durant and his work while others do not and even strongly criticize him.
Ultimately it comes down to a number of questions. What are your opinions on the Durants' work? And would it be worthwhile to read this massive history series before I begin my list of classics? Or, since I already have a basic understanding of world history and will always use notes and supplementary material when reading, is it worth it to just go ahead and jump into my list of classics and read the Durants' work once I am done? What do you guys all think?
Any answers will be greatly appreciated.
I'll say at the beginning that I have not read the Durants' series. It does seem to get mixed reviews, but the people who are qualified to review it - professional historians - almost entirely reject it. There are a few reasons for this.
First, the Durants seemingly made use of historiography that was already rather old-fashioned at the time (Will Durant seems to have been skeptical of historical specialists). Because it is several generations of scholarship out of date, that means not only that some "facts" in the book are wrong, but that in reading it you won't be exposed to the last 40-80 years of scholarship and discussion on these topics. As I'm sure you probably know, history is not just a collection of names and dates, but it's a series of constantly-changing narratives about the past. Historians come up with new ideas or new takes on old ideas; other historians subject those narratives to scrutiny; and if they stand up, they may be incorporated into the larger historical discussion.
To take my little bailiwick, if you read the Durants' Age of Faith, written in 1950, you will miss out on the groundbreaking research of Georges Duby, Maurice Keen, J.F. Verbruggen, Elizabeth Brown, Susan Reynolds, David Crouch, Chris Wickham, John Gillingham, and countless others I'm leaving out. The result is that you would get a view of medieval history that hasn't been current for sixty-odd years.
If you want my advice on a personal level, I would avoid history-of-the-world type books, especially those written many decades ago. Read the fiction you like, and if you feel so inspired, go on to read more focused historical books.