A History of the Jews.

JOHNSON, Paul.

Item Number: 137899

London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1987.

First edition of this classic bestseller, this brilliant 4000 year survey covers not only Jewish history but the impact of Jewish genius and imagination on the world. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Michael Latham with best wishes Paul Johnson.” Fine in a near fine dust jacket.

Paul Johnson says that writing A History of the Jews was like writing a history of the world "seen from the viewpoint of a learned and intelligent victim." Johnson's history begins with the Bible and ends with the establishment of the State of Israel. Throughout, Johnson's history is driven by a philosophical interest: "The Jews," he writes, "stand right at the centre of the perennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose. Does their own history suggest that such attempts are worth making? Or does it reveal their essential futility?" Johnson's history is lucid, thorough, and--as one would expect of almost any project with such a broad scope.