The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve

In The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve, Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning author Stephen Greenblatt explores the extraordinary cultural power of one of humanity’s most enduring stories. Though the biblical account of Adam and Eve occupies only a handful of verses, it has shaped centuries of theology, art, literature, and moral imagination. Greenblatt traces how this origin story evolved across Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, becoming deeply embedded in the Western understanding of sin, responsibility, desire, and human nature.

Drawing on figures such as Augustine, Albrecht Dürer, and John Milton, Greenblatt examines how generations of thinkers and artists reinterpreted and reimagined the story, investing it with meaning that still resonates today. Blending intellectual history with literary analysis, this richly researched work demonstrates how a brief scriptural narrative became a powerful lens through which humanity has wrestled with its deepest questions. Includes 16 pages of color illustrations.

Hardcover, Very Good. Does have The Bookstore stamp on first inside page