Our Oriental Heritage was published by Simon & Schuster in 1935 as the first volume of The Story of Civilization. Durant surveyed the civilizations of Sumeria, Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Persia, India, China, and Japan — an enormous canvas that he covered in roughly 1,000 pages. The book began with a theoretical chapter on the origins of civilization itself, then moved through each major civilization in turn, treating politics, religion, philosophy, art, and daily life.
Durant’s treatment of Asian civilizations was remarkably sympathetic for the 1930s. He argued strenuously against Western chauvinism, insisting that the achievements of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese civilization were equal in sophistication and importance to those of Greece and Rome. This was a genuinely progressive position in an era when Western superiority was the default assumption of popular historical writing.
Collecting Our Oriental Heritage
First edition (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1935): Cloth binding with dust jacket.
Market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $200–$600
- Very good without jacket: $40–$100
Projected values (2026–2036): Strong appreciation. First volume of the great series.
Where Civilization Began
Our Oriental Heritage (1935) is the first volume of Will Durant’s eleven-volume The Story of Civilization and covers the civilizations of Egypt, the Near East, India, China, and Japan from their origins to the modern era. Durant spent eight years writing it, drawing on a vast range of sources and traveling extensively to the regions he described. At nearly 1,000 pages, the book is a remarkable achievement of synthesis — Durant makes ancient civilizations vivid and accessible without oversimplifying. The Simon & Schuster first edition in dust jacket is the most valuable volume in the series because it had the smallest print run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Will Durant? Durant (1885–1981) was an American writer, historian, and philosopher who spent fifty years writing The Story of Civilization with his wife Ariel (who became co-author from Volume 7 onward). He also wrote The Story of Philosophy (1926), one of the best-selling philosophy books of all time. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Rousseau and Revolution (1968) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977).