Encyclopedia of World History [Hardcover]

I love the Usborne series of encyclopedias and other books, and was really excited to add this to our home's repertoire.

While there is not a lot of depth on some areas/topics (Ancient China and Japan, for instance), there is certainly a huge breadth of knowledge. I am excited that there are 100 pages dedicated to prehistory, including the birth of our planet and the beginnings of life. There is a really cool visual timeline of prehistory (kind of a mini Charlie's Playhouse Giant Evolution Timeline: Book & Play Mat, "Time Charts" for ancient, Medieval, and Modern history, and the "past 500 years" section includes mini topical sections on topics such as the cold war; cinema, radio, and tv; Christianity; and computers. The running timeline across the bottom of each page indicates both the era in history and the geographic area being discussed on those pages.

While I'm happy this book approaches prehistory from a scientific standpoint, I'm not thrilled about its handling of religion. It not only uses the outdated dating system of BC/AD (rather than BCE/CE), but it presents Christian mythology as fact while keeping other religions firmly at arm's length when discussing them. The Old Testament of the Bible is referenced as a place to read about the history of the Hebrews, and Jesus is definitively presented as a historical figure. The book suggests reading the Bible's New Testament to learn more about him and his works, which lends that book a certain historical credence it may not deserve. Other religions are not treated with the same hand, but their beliefs are clearly defined as just that - beliefs. It seems that throughout this "history" book, Christianity and its conquests are glorified, while everyone else is a footnote (in the index, Christianity gets 34 entries, Islam gets 3 (though Muslims get 18), Buddhism gets 6, Hindus get 7, and pagans get 4 (all bad)).

This bias is extremely disappointing in such a well-respected series. Luckily, my kids are still young enough to be read to, and I can orally edit and explain as necessary until they're old enough to read it on their own and understand the distinctions.

As for Internet-links, it looks like there aren't actually any links IN the book; rather, each section refers you to the Usborne quick-links web site, where you can search by page number for relevant links. This seems like kind of a pain at first, but if you think about it, it allows Usborne to constantly monitor the links and be sure they are up-to-date and accurate, rather than having in print links which may be expired and/or no longer relevant. They also claim to add new relevant links as they become available.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Internet Links

Prehistoric World
-Prehistoric World Internet Links
-Prehistoric Time
-What Are Fossils
-Clues from Fossils
-The Story of Life
-The Birth of the Earth
-The Changing World
-The Beginning of Life
-Shells and Skeletons
-The Crowded Seas
-The First Fish
-Life on Land
-Fish Out of Water
-Swamps and Forests
-What Are Reptiles
-Early Reptiles
-The Rise of the Reptiles
-Meat-eating Monsters
-Gentle Giants
-Beaks and Crests
-Horns, Clubs and Spikes
- Reptiles of the Seas
-Flying Reptiles
-The First Bird
-The Death of the Dinosaurs
-The First Mammals
-Mammals with Pouches
-The Rise of the Mammals
-Hunters and Scavengers
-Plant-eaters' Problems
-The Horse's Tale
-Animals of South America
-The Elephant's Story
-Animals of the Ice Age
-Apes and Monkeys
-Southern Apes
-The Tool-makers
-The Coming of Fire
-The First Explorers
-Hunters of the Ice Age
-Early Families
-The First Modern People
-New Worlds
-The Mammoth Hunters
-The First Artists
-From Hunting to Farming

Ancient World
-Looking at the Ancient World
-Ancient World Internet Links
-The First Farmers
-The First Towns
-The First Cities
-Crafts and Trade
-Kings and War
-Farmers of the Nile Valley
-Mummies and Pyramids
-Cities of the Indus Valley
-Europe's First Villages
-The Monument Builders
-Palaces and Legends
-Life on Crete
-Palaces and Tombs
-Warriors and Traders
-The Empire of Hammurabi
-The Hittite Empire
-The Egyptian Empire
-Temples and Gods
-Life at Home
-The People of Canaan
-Raiders of the Mediterranean
-The Hebrew Kingdoms
-Traders from Phoenicia
-The Assyrians at War
-The Assyrians at Home
-The City of Babylon
-The Power of Persia
-The Greeks at War
-Life in Ancient Greece
-The City of Athens
-Alexander teh Great
-Riders of the Plains
-The People of Early China
-China's First Emperor
-The Han Dynasty
-The People of Ancient Japan
-The Riches of Arabia
-Life in Ancient Africa
-The Ideas of India
-The First North Americans
-The People of Ancient Persia
-The Olmecs
-Ancient Cities of the Americas
-The Celtic Tribes
-The Rise of Rome
-The Roman Army
-Life in a Roman Town
-Fun and Games
-The Spread of Christianity
-The Fall of Rome

Medieval World
-Looking at the Medieval World
-Medieval World Internet Links
-The Byzantine Empire
-The Barbarian Kingdoms
-Return to Christianity
-The Rise of Islam
-The Arab World
-Vikings at Home
-Vikings Abroad
-Anglo-Saxon England
-Charlemagne's Empire
-The Holy Roman Empire
-The Norman Conquests
-The Hundred Years' War
-Kings, Nobles and Peasants
-Knights, Soldiers and War
-Living in a Castle
-Living in a Village
-Living in a Town
-Traders and Towns
-The Power of the Popes
-Enemies of the Church
-Building a Cathedral
-Going on a Pilgrimage
-Monks and Monasteries
-Art in the Middle Ages
-The Crusades
-The Black Death
-Criminals and Outlaws
-Kingdoms of the Celts
-The Rise of Burgundy
-The Wars of the Roses
-Mongol Invaders
-Triumphs of the Turks
-Kingdoms of Eastern Europe
-The Rise of the Russians
-The Struggle for Spain
-Conquerors of North Africa
-Cities of East Africa
-Kingdoms of West Africa
-Conquerors of Northern India
-Kingdoms of Southeast Asia
-Dynasties of China
-Land of the Samurai
-Explorers and Sailors
-The People of the Pacific
-Native North Americans
-The Aztec Empire
-The Maya and the Toltecs
-Empires of the Andes
-Artists of Italy
-Ideas and Inventions
-Voyages of Discovery

The Last 500 Years
-Looking at the Last 500 Years
-Last 500 Years Internet Links
-Exploring the World
-The Ottoman Empire
-The Mogul Empire
-Catholics and Protestants
-Elizabethan England
-Kings, Cavaliers and Roundheads
-The Power of the Habsburgs
-The Rise of the Dutch
-France and the Sun King
-The Age of Ideas
-Changes in Russia
-Russians and Prussians
-Early Settlers in the Americas
-Settlers in North America
-The Slave Trade
-Exploring the South Seas
-The British in India
-The American Revolution
-The French Revolution
-The Empire of Napoleon
-Changes in Farming
-The Industrial Revolution
-Life in the New Towns
-The Year of Revolutions
-New Nations
-Revolutions in South America
-The Scramble for Africa
-The American Civil War
-The Growth of the USA
-The Ming and the Ch'ing
-Changes in China
-Changes in Japan
-The First World War
-The Russian Revolution
-Stalin's Soviet Union
-The People's Republic
-Good Times, Bad Times
-The Rise of Fascism
-Europe at War
-The World at War
-From Colonies to Countries
-War in the MIddle East
-The Cold War
-The Space Race
-The Fall of Communism
-Rights for All
-Sound and PIctures
-Our Polluted Planet
-The Computer Revolution
-The End of the Century

-World Time Charts
-Word List
-Index

This is a very well done book. When I show it to friends, they love it, and many have gone out to buy it for themselves. This has helped us get a clear time line of history, showing what was happening all over the world at any given time, for a more complete perspective.
The illustrations are very nice and just enough information is given per subject. We are using it in conjunction with The Story of the World series, by Susan Wise Bauer.
I highly recommend it for homeschoolers, but also for school children, to supplement textbooks, (which seem to be rather poorly done these days).

We purchased this to accompany Story of the World for our 6 year old. Her older sister is using the Dk Encyclopedia, but this Usborne Encyclopedia is much more her level. It is a smaller and lighter book (slightly smaller than a standard piece of printer paper) which fits her size, not to mention that the drawings are more child-like. It's certainly something that our 10 year old will enjoy as well, but it really speaks to the 6 yo.

Each subject has a two-page spread with a smattering of text and lots of drawings. It's really just enough information without overloading a young child.

I'd like to get the Ancient's Encyclopedia, as well, but am not sure how much would be redundant with the ancient section of this book. I'll update this review when I find out.

Although it's wonderful for homeschooling, I think it would be a great addition to any child's library. The timelines in the back of the book are done in block format with photos. So many timelines are too overwhelming to read. These are done beautifully and so age-appropriate in their design.

We're very, very pleased with our purchase.