The Gravity of Glory: How Empires Rise and Why They Fall

Ever noticed how history's greatest empires have the shelf life of a carton of milk? One minute, they're conquering the world; the next, they're a tourist attraction with a gift shop.

The Gravity of Glory is a brutally funny tour through five millennia of human striving and spectacular collapse. This isn't your high school history class; it's a look at the petty grievances and terrible decisions that topple civilizations. Witness Rome perfect the art of turning enemies into citizens before ...