The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
by Stephen Greenblatt
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt holds a well received rating of 3.83 out of 5, based on 13.4K reader ratings. First published in 2011. The book spans 356 pages.
About The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
One of the world's most celebrated scholars, Stephen Greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand years of neglect, changed the course of human thought and made possible the world as we know it.Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late thirties took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic, On the Nature of Things, by Lucretius—a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion, colliding and swerving in new directions.The copying and translation of this ancient book—the greatest discovery of the greatest book-hunter of his age—fueled the Renaissance, inspiring artists such as Botticelli and thinkers such as Giordano Bruno; shaped the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein; and had a revolutionary influence on writers such as Montaigne and Shakespeare and even Thomas Jefferson.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Greenblatt |
| Published | 2011 |
| Pages | 356 |
| Kindle Price | $9.99 |
| Genres | History, Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Science, Religion & Spirituality |
| Average Rating | 3.83 / 5.00 |
| Total Ratings | 13,405 |
Reader Ratings & Analysis
Rating Overview
How It Compares
Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is The Swerve: How the World Became Modern?
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern is categorized as History, Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Science. Its primary genre classification is Classics.
Is The Swerve: How the World Became Modern worth reading?
Based on 13.4K reader ratings, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern has an average score of 3.83 out of 5.00, which is considered "Well Received."
How many pages is The Swerve: How the World Became Modern?
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern has 356 pages.
Who wrote The Swerve: How the World Became Modern?
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern was written by Stephen Greenblatt. It was first published in 2011.
What is the ISBN for The Swerve: How the World Became Modern?
The ISBN-13 for The Swerve: How the World Became Modern is 9780393064480.0.
How much does The Swerve: How the World Became Modern cost on Kindle?
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern is available on Kindle for $9.99. Pricing may vary by region and promotional offers.
Data sourced from community book ratings and reviews. Last updated: April 15, 2026
