This brilliant book examines the meaning of human civilization and history. Drawing from the experience of the past, it serves as an accessible guide to put the future in context. These are the lessons we need to know to live in optimistic confidence, rather than fear and ignorance. Four years before his death, Will Durant began work on an abbreviated version of his highly acclaimed 11-volume series, The Story of Civilization. The manuscript was recently discovered by Durant scholar John Little. The wit, knowledge, and unique ability of Durant to explain events and ideas are now passed on for the benefit of future generations - a fitting legacy from America's most beloved historian. Heroes of History first answers the question, what is civilization? It then explores the contributions of great minds from China and India through Egypt, the Greek and Roman empires, the Renaissance and the Reformation, and concludes with Shakespeare and Bacon. It offers the keyhole through which we can spy, in Durant's words, "... a special Country of the Mind, wherein a thousand saints, statesmen, inventors, scientists, poets, artists, musicians, lovers, and philosophers still live and speak, teach and carve and sing."

"Grover Gardner takes advantage of that rare aural bounty to weave an entertaining tapestry of great historical figures that listeners will find enjoyable as well as thoughtful. The essays bridge eras with helpful comparisons--for example, linking the actions of a modern nation at war to those of the ancient hunter-gatherers. Overall, Durant concentrates on people who shaped history, such as Martin Luther and Leonardo da Vinci. The essays illustrate how people can make a difference, a valuable concept for listeners to ponder as they continue to shape the future."

William James Durant (1885-1981), reporter, seminarian, and teacher, earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1917. His best-known books are The Story of Philosophy, and the 11-volume Story of Civilization written in collaboration with his wife Ariel. Together, the Durants won numerous honors, including the prestigious Medal of Freedom and a Pulitzer Prize.