James J. O'Donnell, author of Augustine:Sinner and Saint, The Ruin of the Roman Empire, and the forthcoming Pagans, is an academic turned administrator who uses his wide-ranging world travels to inform and inspire his writing. Educated at Princeton and Yale, long on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, he is now Provost of Georgetown University.

'The Ruin of the Roman Empire is an exotic and instructive tale, told with life, learning and just the right measure of laughter on every page. O'Donnell combines a historian's mastery of substance with a born storyteller's sense of style to create a magnificent work of art. Perfect for history-lovers and admirers of great writing alike' Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State A vigorous history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire Kirkus Reviews O'Donnell's richly layered book provides significant glimpses into the many factors that leveled a mighty empire Publishers Weekly A vibrant new look at the Roman empire's collapse...a brief review cannot do justice to the lively, teeming canvas - political, religious, social and cultural - that O'Donnell paints, the extraordinary personalities that emerge, and his stimulating judgements -- Peter Jones BBC History Magazine An engagingly personal narrative of the 5th and 6th centuries -- Mary Beard Sunday Times 'A hugely informative and richly rewarding book' -- Jonathan Wright Glasgow Herald "O'Donnell has written a thoroughly researched and elegant history of this great empire's division and downfall...rewarding and informative" -- Julian Fleming Sunday Business Post