10 h 54 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 10 h 54 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What can the broken columns of a rich city tell us about why nations fall?
In The Ruins; Or, Meditation on the Revolutions of Empires, C.-F. Volney stands among the ruins of Palmyra in the Syrian desert. A spirit called the Genius appears and lifts him above the earth. Together, they look at fallen empires and ask what brings powerful societies down—and whether people must repeat the same mistakes.
Travel writing, political argument and a waking dream meet in this work of Enlightenment thought. Volney explores self-love, liberty, labor and the hunger for conquest. His vision also gathers the peoples of the world to debate truth and justice. Through their arguments, he compares religious claims and asks whether natural law can offer a common guide to life.
What you’ll discover
- A traveler among ruins Stand with Volney among broken columns, where a city's loss becomes a question about human life.
- The roots of power Follow the Genius as it links the strength of nations to liberty and labor.
- The cost of greed Explore an argument that traces imperial ruin to conquest and the hunger for more.
- Faiths in debate Encounter Volney's comparison of religions through an imagined assembly where their leaders present competing claims.
- A common moral guide Consider Volney's short code of natural law as an answer to the question of living together.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy big arguments about power, religion, and reason will find plenty here. It suits anyone curious about the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, or early attempts to build ethics on nature rather than command.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Ruined cities ask questions about human fate
- People, not fate or God, cause ruin
- Self-love and natural law govern human life
- Ignorance and greed turn self-love into poison
- Nations rise by equality and fall by despotism
- Progress is possible and printing protects it
- A free people can found law on equality
- Rival religions cannot settle truth by clashing
- Religious ideas grew from nature and the stars
- Natural law offers a code everyone can test
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Les Ruines, ou Méditation sur les révolutions des empires
by C.-F. Volney · 1791
A traveler sits among the ruins of Palmyra at night, and a spirit asks who really brought the cities down.
Medium level5–10 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Picture a man alone at night among the white columns of Palmyra, once a rich trading city and now a home for jackals and a few poor Arab peasants. The moon rises over the Euphrates plain.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Ruined cities ask questions about human fate
Volney opens in 1784, as he travels through the Ottoman Empire. Everywhere he sees abandoned fields, empty villages, and fallen monuments. He wants to know why lands once crowded with people now lie silent.
At Palmyra he lodges with poor Arab peasants who have built huts in the courtyard of an old temple to the Sun. One evening he sits on a fallen column and watches the moon rise over the plain. He pictures traders swapping silk, amber, pearls, and gold, and he asks where Nineveh, Babylon, and Tyre have gone.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1791
- Language
- français
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Volney, C.-F. The Ruins; Or, Meditation on the Revolutions of Empires. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-ruins-or-meditation-on-the-revolutions-of-empires.
Volney, C.-F. (2026). The ruins; or, meditation on the revolutions of empires. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-ruins-or-meditation-on-the-revolutions-of-empires (Original work published 1791)
Volney, C.-F. The Ruins; Or, Meditation on the Revolutions of Empires. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-ruins-or-meditation-on-the-revolutions-of-empires.
@book{volney2026ruins,
author = {Volney, C.-F.},
title = {The Ruins; Or, Meditation on the Revolutions of Empires},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-ruins-or-meditation-on-the-revolutions-of-empires},
note = {First published 1791}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Les Ruines, ou Méditation sur les révolutions des empires
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Ruins by Volney about?
A traveler at Palmyra meets a spirit who argues that empires fall through ignorance and greed. The book then follows a vision of a free people, a debate among world religions, and a code of natural law.
Who is the Genius in The Ruins?
The Genius is a spirit of tombs and ruins who appears to the traveler at night. He speaks for reason, carries him above the earth, and explains the causes of the rise and fall of nations.
What is the law of nature in Volney's book?
It is the regular order by which the universe runs, applied to human life. Its base is self-preservation, guided by pain and pleasure, and from it Volney draws virtues such as knowledge, temperance, justice, and simple living.
The author
C.-F. Volney
1757–1820 · French philosopher and historian
Constantin-François de Chassebœuf, known as Volney, was a French philosopher, historian and politician. He was born in Craon in 1757 and died in Paris in 1820. He travelled in Egypt and Syria from 1783 to 1785. He published Travels in Syria and Egypt in 1787 and The Ruins in 1791.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in philosophy & ideas
See all
