Reviews

A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich

shipwreck78's review against another edition

3.0

Meant for children, I thought it did a good job of explaining how the religions branched or developed in very layman terms.

alyssa1204's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

ftrebelo's review against another edition

4.0

If I had read this book at twelve, it would have instantly become one of my favorite books. It's an eagle's eye overview of world history, originally published in the 1930s in Germany. It covers the emergence of cavemen to the Versailles Treaty in 1918. Due to the intended audience (children), the tone of the book throughout is light and conversational, referencing more than engaging with some of the darker periods of history (i.e. conquest of South American). Naturally, it's largely Euro-centric, with some brief detours to Asia (read: China, India, and Japan) and the Middle East. Having grown up with an Anglo-Saxon education, I found the German-centric perspective interesting and learned a few things about the development of the countries east of the Alps. The timing of the book was also an interesting angle, as it was written between wars in the early period of the rise of the Nazis (the author left for England shortly after writing this book). This edition included a final chapter discussing WWII and how the author's perspective on the inter-war years changed in retrospect.

Overall, I'm not sure it's a book I'd quickly recommend to other adults, but it is certainly a good and entertaining introduction to the sweeping arc of (European) history.

jfperreault's review against another edition

4.0

A fun, yet engaging read.

daphnesayshi's review against another edition

2.0

s'alright, although I suppose as a book written for young readers, it consequently made me feel as if I were being spoken down to pretty much the entirety of the book.

Names events places also start to blur halfway through the book.

Entertaining, but not recommended for people serious about history.

sher47bingo's review against another edition

4.0

This book is intended for young readers but I found it an enjoyable read. It is written in a friendly, breezy way that makes it easy to keep reading while giving factual information. Was surprised that no mention was made of the bubonic plague that decimated the world. The author is from Europe so much of North & South American history is skimmed over.
Felt the book was worth the time to read as a reminder of all the achievements of mankind as well as the cruelty mankind has endured.
Especially with the rise of ISIS it seems a reminder of how evil arises in the world & needs to be dealt with. Peace never lasts long.

abucketofcoffee's review against another edition

3.0

It is thoroughly disappointing that a book - written by such an acclaimed and merited author - that claims to describe the history of the world should be so unapologetically colonial and Eurocentric. The shameful and tragic events of colonial rule and slavery that shaped our past and present are completely omitted and whole continents and parts of the world seem to never have existed.
I enjoyed the chapters up until 2 AD, give or take, after which the book was a steady downfall to me.

hynekozana's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

pheebstar's review against another edition

informative inspiring relaxing fast-paced

4.0

often criticized for being too european-focused. i will excuse this given the author is european. however i will instead criticize it for being too military-focused. boring as hell if u don’t care about the roman empire

vanessauwu's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.25