A Little History of the World
by E. H. Gombrich
More Detail/Buy Product.
Publisher: Yale University Press
Salesrank: 11409List Price: $25.00
Our Price: $9.81
Used Price: $7.84
Media: Book
Availibility:
Costumer Rating: 
Customer Reviews:
Succinct History, but Pretty Gauzy (2008-04-08)
A quick, nearly pocket-sized history of the world. Clearly intended for children, but I enjoyed getting a refresher. I rate it three stars considering its uneven treatment of some pretty important facts (lots on Napoleon, but no mention of the Black Death of the 14th cen.?), and its need of a healthy dose of editing.World history in 40 bite-sized chapters (2008-04-05)
This is an amazing little book. I am a big fan of brevity. And this book takes the prize. Apart from providing a delicious overview of world history, this brilliant work contains fascinating trivia on every page. If you’ve ever wanted to know the answers to the following questions, this book will do it with elegance and grace. Why are the days of the week named the way they are (Sunday, Monday, etc.)? What is the story behind the Gordian Knot? How does the Chinese script work? How was the marathon race invented?Fantastic book (2008-02-08)
I bought this book, based on other reviews, with very little knowledge about history. The is the PERFECT book to learn about history. I’m not a big reader of books besides computer manuals, but now I’m intrigued enough to dive a little deeper into the past. When I got the book, I was going to take it one chapter at a time, but I couldn’t put it down. It’s an easy read. A lot of wars have been fought, lives sacrificed, people persecuted for their religion, and……..well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out. : )Without “cult” there is no culture (2008-01-03)
Since other reviewers have hit most of the high points of this book — its comprehensiveness, its accessible style, its suitability for reading aloud, etc. — I’ll focus on one little-discussed aspect: its respect for religion. Gombrich has no interest in proselytizing his readers; you will find no arguments on behalf of any particular religion in this book. Yet he appreciates that without “cult” there is no culture, and that religion has been the driving force of all civilizations. The world’s major religious figures, e.g., Christ, Buddha, and Mohammed, are discussed in detail and presented fairly. We’ve been reading aloud a few chapters a week for about a month, and my children, especially the sixth-, fourth- and first-graders, have profited enormously from it.Biased, speculative and wrong (2007-10-15)
This book was worse than bad - it is well-written misinformation that will leave the reader thinking he or she has been well-informed. Clearly written from a Christian perspective, the author bends and twists history to the breaking point to make it fit his world-view. In this book, all of the historical claims of the bible are accepted as fact, when many are in dispute or are seriously doubted by serious historians. Characters of the Old Testament that may have never existed, and events that may have never happened are presented as if they have as much legitimacy as secular history. At one point, the author claims that the Dark Ages were actually more like a starry night because the people of Europe had the guiding light of “their Lord” shining on them. Ugh!
In addition, the author characterizes other historical figures in overly romantic terms. Alexander, Julius Caesar and Augustus are spoken of with great reverance, with little notice of their brutal, amoral behavior. Modern historians understand that history is written by the winners, and take a dim view of simply assuming that powerful world figures were as noble and wise as their propanganda claimed.
This is history for people who don’t want their worldview challenged - even by the truth - if they learned most of their history before 1975. If you want to actually learn something useful, look elsewhere.
***** More Detail/Buy Product. or price comparisons(if any) *****
