deebballer's review against another edition
4.0
It is Euro-centric and theist but still a nice compilation of world history that makes it easier to relate multiple events than a textbook does. As an American, I find it interesting to hear about history from a different, albeit not exactly incommensurable, perspective.
mimmyjau's review against another edition
2.0
To preface, I know little history. My hope in picking up this book was to get a general survey of humanity starting from the beginning (I wasn't sure what that meant but I figured the historians had spent time thinking about it for me). I also didn't know what a general survey was supposed to do, nevertheless I came away feeling pretty ambivalent about this book.
I guess my idea of an introductory survey was more than just names, dates, locations, and battles. I was hoping to come away with a better understanding of the "why" behind history – to find patterns, commonalities, and differences between the small slice of history I've experienced and the much larger piece of history that spans the millennia and locations I haven't.
Unfortunately this book didn't deliver. While I can now better link names of great empires and principle actors to specific geographies and moments in time (e.g. hopefully I'll no longer confuse Mesopotamia and Macedonia), I can't necessarily explain why any of it was relevant nor could I relate to any of the major players. The characters felt impersonal, their stories rushed, and the narrative non-existant.
Maybe it's my fault for expecting more from a general survey of history (and specifically one written for children), maybe I'll better appreciate this book more once I explore other history books, or maybe I just need to let the ideas in this book marinate for a month or two. With all that being said I'm still looking forward to reading The Story of Art by the same author.
I guess my idea of an introductory survey was more than just names, dates, locations, and battles. I was hoping to come away with a better understanding of the "why" behind history – to find patterns, commonalities, and differences between the small slice of history I've experienced and the much larger piece of history that spans the millennia and locations I haven't.
Unfortunately this book didn't deliver. While I can now better link names of great empires and principle actors to specific geographies and moments in time (e.g. hopefully I'll no longer confuse Mesopotamia and Macedonia), I can't necessarily explain why any of it was relevant nor could I relate to any of the major players. The characters felt impersonal, their stories rushed, and the narrative non-existant.
Maybe it's my fault for expecting more from a general survey of history (and specifically one written for children), maybe I'll better appreciate this book more once I explore other history books, or maybe I just need to let the ideas in this book marinate for a month or two. With all that being said I'm still looking forward to reading The Story of Art by the same author.
nuska's review against another edition
2.0
No sabía que estaba concebido como un libro para niños y no me han gustado algunos giros infantiles. Por otro lado, creo que el sistema educativo por ámbitos va a permanecer así más tiempo del que me gustaría y me puede ser útil para explicar historia a los alumnos más jóvenes. Lo que sí me ha gustado es que trate la historia de Oriente a la vez que la de Occidente. Me ha resultado muy interesante aprender algo de algunas antiguas dinastías chinas, de Confucio y Lao-Tse.
linalina's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
therootedway's review against another edition
5.0
There are things to be learned from dated history books, about bias and marginalization and history and peoplehood. Meant for children. Engaging and accessible. Originally published in 1936 in German. Compared to others written in that time the forward thinking and fairness is impressive (not compared to now, obvs). Read the final chapter if you are a human. It was written much later (it is undated) after WWII. Everything he says is poignant and painful. Don’t read in isolation, read more diverse history, but this book and the author was moving. With proper discussion about the date written and why that matters, really lovely and engaging book that puts a thread together for kids about history, instead of teaching everything in isolation. Please borrow from the library and read the last chapter if you are a teacher, parent, or kid.
_danhill's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic book!
The book itself is meant for a younger audience but adults will get a lot from it too. The book covers the history of the world from Ancient Egypt up to the bomb being dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
The prose is passionate and full of a real reverence and wonder for history and the people who populate it.
If there's a young person in your life who even has an inkling of interest in history, give them this book.
Then ask to read it when they're done with it.
The book itself is meant for a younger audience but adults will get a lot from it too. The book covers the history of the world from Ancient Egypt up to the bomb being dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
The prose is passionate and full of a real reverence and wonder for history and the people who populate it.
If there's a young person in your life who even has an inkling of interest in history, give them this book.
Then ask to read it when they're done with it.
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
"You may think it is easy to conquer the world because it has been done so many times, but it is not." This slightly misquoted passage sums up why I loved this audio book. I've always been crazy about books where the author speaks directly to the reader and if that is you, you'll love this. I should listen to this book once a year to keep straight in my mind the difference between the Guelphs and Ghibellines and to remember who came first, the Akkadians or the Babylonians.