Edward Gibbon 
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 

The complete 6-volume work, which covers from the reign of Marcus Aurelius to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. According to Wikipedia: ‘Edward Gibbon (1737 — 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. His most important work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. The History is known principally for the quality and irony of its prose…’