Praised as a “revelatory” book by The Wall Street Journal, this is the last and most personal work of Pulitzer Prize–winning author and historian Will Durant, discovered thirty-two years after his death.
The culmination of Will Durant’s sixty-plus years spent researching the philosophies, religions, arts, sciences, and civilizations from across the world, Fallen Leaves is the distilled wisdom of one of the world’s greatest minds, a man with a renowned talent for rendering the insights of the past accessible. Over the course of Durant’s career he received numerous letters from “curious readers who have challenged me to speak my mind on the timeless questions of human life and fate.” With Fallen Leaves, his final book, he at last accepted their challenge.
In twenty-two short chapters, Durant addresses everything from youth and old age to religion, morals, sex, war, politics, and art. Fallen Leaves is “a thought-provoking array of opinions” (Publishers Weekly), offering elegant prose, deep insights, and Durant’s revealing conclusions about the perennial problems and greatest joys we face as a species. In Durant’s singular voice, here is a message of insight for everyone who has ever sought meaning in life or the counsel of a learned friend while navigating life’s journey.

- 208 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Foreword
- Preface
- Chapter One: Our Life Begins
- Chapter Two: On Youth
- Chapter Three: On Middle Age
- Chapter Four: On Old Age
- Chapter Five: On Death
- Chapter Six: Our Souls
- Chapter Seven: Our Gods
- Chapter Eight: On Religion
- Chapter Nine: On a Different Second Advent
- Chapter Ten: On Religion and Morals
- Chapter Eleven: On Morality
- Chapter Twelve: On Race
- Chapter Thirteen: On Women
- Chapter Fourteen: On Sex
- Chapter Fifteen: On War
- Chapter Sixteen: On Vietnam
- Chapter Seventeen: On Politics
- Chapter Eighteen: On Capitalism and Communism
- Chapter Nineteen: On Art
- Chapter Twenty: On Science
- Chapter Twenty-One: On Education
- Chapter Twenty-Two: On the Insights of History
- About the Author
- Notes
- Index
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access Fallen Leaves by Will Durant in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Historical Theory & Criticism. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.