The Decline of the West Since its first publication in two volumes between 1926-28, this work has ranked as one of the most widely read and most talked about books of our time. Spengler probes the origin and `fate` of our civilization, presenting a world view based on the cyclical rise and decline of cultures. `An exciting excursion through history`.--Time

Since its first publication more than eighty years ago, The Decline of the West has ranked as one of the most widely read and talked about books of our time. A sweeping account of Western culture by a historian of legendary intellect, it is an astonishingly informed, forcefully eloquent, thrillingly controversial work that advances a world view based on the cyclical rise and fall of civilizations.

This abridgment presents the most significant of Oswald Spengler’s arguments, linked by illuminating explanatory passages. It makes available in one volume a masterpiece of grand-scale history and far-reaching prophesy that remains essential reading for anyone interested in the factors that determine the course of civilizations.