author
J. B. (John Bagnell) Bury
1861–1927
A wide-ranging historian and classical scholar, he helped make the later Roman and Byzantine worlds vivid for modern readers. His books blend close scholarship with a strong sense of how big historical change unfolds over time.
3 Audiobooks
A History of Freedom of Thought
by J. B. (John Bagnell) Bury
The Idea of Progress: An Inquiry into Its Origin and Growth
by J. B. (John Bagnell) Bury
The life of St. Patrick and his place in history
by J. B. (John Bagnell) Bury
About the author
Born in County Monaghan, Ireland, on October 16, 1861, John Bagnell Bury became one of the most respected historians of his generation. He studied at Trinity College Dublin, where he later held the chair of modern history, and he went on to serve as Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge.
Bury wrote across an unusually broad range of subjects, including ancient Greece, Rome, Byzantium, philology, and the philosophy of history. He is especially remembered for major works such as A History of the Later Roman Empire, as well as for helping revive serious study of the Byzantine world in English.
What still makes his writing appealing is its combination of precision and reach. He cared deeply about evidence and language, but he also wrote with a clear interest in the larger movement of civilizations, ideas, and political power. He died in Rome on June 1, 1927.