OKAY, SOME PEOPLE PREFER REAL BOOKS TO KINDLE BOOKS, AND I’M COOL WITH THAT. But this is pretty darn cool, too: Edward Gibbon’s History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, All 6 volumes plus Biography, Historiography and more. Over 8,000 Links (Illustrated) — for $2.99. And particularly apt reading these days.

UPDATE: A reader emails:

Great timing. A friend and I were just bemoaning the state of public education yesterday, and I commented to him that I did a huge (for me, then), foot-noted, research paper on Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in HIGH SCHOOL. Handwritten notecards, drafted longhand, and transferred to typewriter. That was in 11th grade, I think, about 1976 or 1977, and I picked the book. I remember only one volume, so it must have been an abridged version, but it was still well over 1000 pages.

From what I read of today’s education system, I can hardly imagine a college student doing this, never mind a high schooler. The kid would probably sue if assigned today.

Decline and fall, indeed.

I’m sure there are high schools where this is done. But, yeah.