A Little History of the World
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Review
'Conversational in style, as of a grandparent talking with a child, the story of humanity from prehistory is told.' --Peter Andrews, School Librarian, vol. 54 no. 2, Summer 2006
'...a perfect present for a child with an enquiring mind. I wish it had been available when I was young.' --Literary Review, September 2005
'Had I a dozen grandchildren...I'd order two dozen copies, one for the children, the other for their parents.' --Evening Standard, 26 September, 2005
'...a perfect present for a child with an enquiring mind. I wish it had been available when I was young.' --Literary Review, September 2005
'Had I a dozen grandchildren...I'd order two dozen copies, one for the children, the other for their parents.' --Evening Standard, 26 September, 2005
Literary Review, September 2005
'...a perfect present for a child with an enquiring mind. I wish it had been available when I was young.'
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
All stories begin with 'Once upon a time'. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
All stories begin with 'Once upon a time'. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Yale UP deserve congratulations from young and old readers alike for this beautifully produced and translated book. Written in the 1930s but only now translated into English it is vintage Gomnbrich - clear and concise and fascinating and thought aimed at younger readers will be enjoyed by adults too. And the compact size and gorgeous newly commissioned woodcuts all add to the joy that this book brings. Can't recommend it highly enough to anyone interested in Gombrich's writings or just looking for a wonderful short historical read.
36 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
'Once upon a time ... ' A brilliant introduction to 'what is history' which draws you in irresistably - a great outline for adults as well as children. Although inevitably biased towards European history, it does cover the world and tells the 'story' in a way which will encourage you to find out more. Not only beautifully written, as you would expect from Gombrich, but also beautifully produced - in hardback on good-quality paper with stunning [lino-cut?] illustrations and at a very reasonable price. Order more than one - it makes a great present.
55 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read this to see if it would be a suitable present for some friend's children, and wound up keeping it myself! You'd have to be one whiz at history not to learn a great deal from this book, it was great to have so many names that rang a vague bell finally put in context in such a concise and entertaining way. An excellent read, and one of the best-presented books in terms of binding and typography I've seen in a while.
The reviewer below who worried about the 'unrestrained paean to Marxism' clearly didn't read Gombrich's thoughtful and honest afterword, where he reviews his own opinions from over 50 years back and concludes that he was mistaken about the Soviet Union (to which he only devotes literally five lines which are not particularily opinionated) and too hard on industrialization. He also corrects his younger self on his orignal, parochial view of the Treaty of Versailles. I honour his candour in keeping the original lines in. In any case the idea that this book, with or without the afterword, is propaganda for ANY ideology is frankly absurd, and I would hate to see any reasonable person avoid the "Little History" from that mistaken impression.
Of course anyone will quarrel with the presentation of parts of history on which have an opinion-- personally I think he was rather too hard on Elizabeth I and rather too easy on the Chinese empire and the Aztecs! But that's the consequence of Gombrich's vivid storybook style, I think, and the fact that he has to deal with very complex situations in a couple of lines. I was especially impressed with the steady grace with which he handles potentially explosive religious issues. On the whole I don't think any but the most committed idealogue, left or right, would have a serious issue with their children reading this book. His view of history is probably best summed up with this:
"Now let's take a last look at these people dressed in skins, as they paddle their boats made of hollowed-out tree turnks towards their villages of huts... Do you think much has changed since then? Ther were people just like us. Often unkind to one another. Often cruel and deceitful. Sadly, so are we. But even then a mother might sacrifice her life for her child and friends might die for each other. And how could it be otherwise?"
Now to pick up another copy for those kids...
The reviewer below who worried about the 'unrestrained paean to Marxism' clearly didn't read Gombrich's thoughtful and honest afterword, where he reviews his own opinions from over 50 years back and concludes that he was mistaken about the Soviet Union (to which he only devotes literally five lines which are not particularily opinionated) and too hard on industrialization. He also corrects his younger self on his orignal, parochial view of the Treaty of Versailles. I honour his candour in keeping the original lines in. In any case the idea that this book, with or without the afterword, is propaganda for ANY ideology is frankly absurd, and I would hate to see any reasonable person avoid the "Little History" from that mistaken impression.
Of course anyone will quarrel with the presentation of parts of history on which have an opinion-- personally I think he was rather too hard on Elizabeth I and rather too easy on the Chinese empire and the Aztecs! But that's the consequence of Gombrich's vivid storybook style, I think, and the fact that he has to deal with very complex situations in a couple of lines. I was especially impressed with the steady grace with which he handles potentially explosive religious issues. On the whole I don't think any but the most committed idealogue, left or right, would have a serious issue with their children reading this book. His view of history is probably best summed up with this:
"Now let's take a last look at these people dressed in skins, as they paddle their boats made of hollowed-out tree turnks towards their villages of huts... Do you think much has changed since then? Ther were people just like us. Often unkind to one another. Often cruel and deceitful. Sadly, so are we. But even then a mother might sacrifice her life for her child and friends might die for each other. And how could it be otherwise?"
Now to pick up another copy for those kids...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic book for children (and adults!)
This is truly a masterpiece of historical narrative - engaging and captivating, this should be mandatory reading in schools. Read more
Published 11 hours ago by E. Danielyan
Great read
What a great little book for information, I am loving it, I haven't finished but it is a useful read.
Published 2 months ago by Elizabeth
Wonderful!
Eminently readable. VERY strongly recommended for adolescents, and also for adults who have forgotten what little history they learned in school, or only remember a confusing maze... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Angelos TSIRIMOKOS
History, with a dash of nostalgia
I'm interested in history, but not normally somebody who reads history books. As a result, this has sat on my bookshelf for quite some time waiting to be read. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. S. Hardman
Effortless journey down the river of history
I read A Little History with my eleven year old daughter, taking it in turns at bed time. We've taken an effortless journey down the river of history, a metaphor Gombrich uses, and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Richard Beddard
A little bit in love with this still
This is a truly great book. At any age, you can appreciate that this is a concise history of the world written in an engaging and enjoyable style. Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. J. PITT
simple history on a page
this book makes a valuable asset to any bookcase. It allows an adea of how everything fits in with our chronology.
Published 5 months ago by peter
Dumbed down version of World History
This book is dangerous! It presents complex historical phenomena in such a simplistic way that it will leave any impressionable or unknowledgeable mind with a very two dimensional... Read more
Published 6 months ago by anti-thesis
A Little History of the World
BRILLIANT!
This is a great book that succintly takes you on a whistle stop tour of world history. Read more
This is a great book that succintly takes you on a whistle stop tour of world history. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Asparagus Girl
Wonderful
Quite simply, this is my new favourite book. It's like having the history of the world read to you by your Grandad. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Avid crime reader
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