We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2013
Those whom the appearance of virtue, or the evidence of genius, have tempted to a nearer knowledge of the writer in whose performances they may be found, have indeed had frequent reason to repent their curiosity; the bubble that sparkled before them has become common water at the touch; the phantom of perfection has vanished when they wished to press it to their bosom.
JohnsonIn its original quarto form, The Decline and Fall bulks to approximately one and a half cubic feet. The Hanoverians are not renowned for their literary acuity, but no one could deny the accuracy of the Duke of Gloucester's assessment of at least the look of the volumes with which Gibbon presented him in 1781: ‘Another damned thick square book!’ However, despite its monumental appearance, the production of The Decline and Fall was beset by vicissitudes. From the first its publication was subject to postponement. Gibbon treats this as a fact of authorial life: ‘In every great work unforeseen labours and difficulties and delays will arise.’ But his deferrals are unusually plentiful and repeated. In 1774, he makes plain his hopes to publish Volume I in 1775. In June 1775, he talks of ‘next winter’. The first volume of The Decline and Fall was eventually published on 17 February 1776. The second instalment of Volumes II and III was published on 1 March 1781: but in the correspondence that precedes it we are again faced with multiple postponements.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
