DURANT, William and Ariel.
The Story of Civilization. [Our Oriental Heritage, The Life of Greece, Caesar and Christ, The Age of Faith, The Renaissance, The Reformation, The Age of Reason Beings, The Age of Louis XIV, The Age of Voltaire, Rousseau and Revolution, The Age of Napoleon].
New York: Simon and Schuster , 1935-1975.
+$450
Complete 11 volume set of William and Ariel Durant's The Story of Civilization; with 10 volumes inscribed by the Durants to Hollywood legends Douglas and Mary Lee Fairbanks
Rare complete set of Durant's monumental achievement with 10 volumes inscribed by him to "The King of Hollywood" Douglas Fairbanks. Royal octavo, 11 volumes, cartographic endpapers, illustrated. Presentation copies, each volume (with the exception IV and X) inscribed by William and Ariel Durant to Douglas and Mary Lee Fairbanks on various dates. The inscription on the half-title page of The Life of Greece reads, "To Douglas + Mary Lee with love from Will Durant 5-6-69 A great evening!", to the flyleaf of The Age of Voltaire, "For Douglas & Mary Lee affectionately, from Will Durant & Ariel At the Bolton's Sept. 19, 1966", and to the flyleaf of The Age of Louis XIV, "To Douglas & Mary Lee enjoying their hospitality. May 7, 1964 from Will Durant & Ariel." The recipients, Douglas and Mary Lee Fairbanks, were pioneers in the American film industry and two of the most popular actors of their time. With their marriage in 1920, the couple became "Hollywood royalty", she earning the title "Queen of the Movies, and he "The King of Hollywood". Together, they cofounded Pickford-Fairbanks Studios and United Artists in Hollywood California, and in 1929 Mary was was awarded the second Academy Award for Best Actress for her first sound film role in Coquette at the 1st Academy Awards which Fairbanks hosted. The Durants and Fairbanks became close friends later in life and Fairbanks became a devoted collector of Durant's work. First editions of each volume with the exception of I, V, VI which are early printings. Each volume is in very good condition. Vol. IV-XI are in the rare original dust jackets. With Fairbanks' bookplate to each volume.
Written over the span of 40 years, Will and Ariel Durant began writing The Story of Civilization in 1935 with the intention of recording a history of the west from the dawn of civilization to the 20th century. The series, however, ended with The Age of Napoleon when the Durants both died she in her 80s and he in his 90s—before they could complete additional volumes. All eleven volumes became Book-of-the-Month Club selections and best-sellers with total sales of more than two million copies in nine languages and the series won a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 with the publication of the10th volume in the series, Rousseau and Revolution.
The Story of Civilization. [Our Oriental Heritage, The Life of Greece, Caesar and Christ, The Age of Faith, The Renaissance, The Reformation, The Age of Reason Beings, The Age of Louis XIV, The Age of Voltaire, Rousseau and Revolution, The Age of Napoleon].
Out of Stock