Arnold Toynbee was a British historian who is best known for his 12-volume work, 'A Study of History'. He was born in London in 1889 and studied at Balliol College, Oxford. Toynbee's work focused on the rise and fall of civilizations and their interactions with each other. He argued that civilizations could be divided into three categories: those that were successful, those that failed, and those that were in decline. Toynbee's work has been influential in the fields of history, sociology, and philosophy.