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Product Description
Product Description
Discover the scope of the world’s history
* With exclusive article by Richard Overy *
Beginning with the story of early man, and culminating in the rise of global terrorism and environmental issues, the text is a breathtaking and unrivalled narrative which includes voyages of discovery, revolutions and wars, dynasties and empires.
Richard Overy, with a team of historians, presents a factual chronological narrative as well as his own opinion-led piece in an extended article ‘The State of the World’ in which he gives his views on the primary factors which shape the world we live in.
With fully-up-to-date content including material on Iraq, Afghanistan, terrorism and the environment, as well as the latest research into prehistory, this is the most complete and readable record of our world yet.
From cavemen to the Cold War, from Alexander the Great to global warming, from warfare through the ages to the great voyages of exploration, The Times History of the World is the book that has all the answers, the detail and the authoritative text in one breathtaking single historical source.
Also contains a 16-page section of photographs of the most important and iconic images of our world.
About the Author
Richard Overy (b. 1947) was educated at Caius College, Cambridge. He taught at Cambridge from 1972 to 1979 at Queens' College and from 1976-79 as a University Assistant Lecturer. From 1980 to 2004 he taught at King's College, London where he was made professor of Modern History in 1994. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (1977), Fellow of the British Academy (2000) and Fellow of King's College (2003). In 2001 he was awarded the Samuel Elliot Morison Prize of the Society for Military History for his contribution to the history of warfare. In September 2004 he took up appointment as Professor of History at the University of Exeter.
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Customer Reviews
Richard Overy does an excellent job of what is undoubtedly a difficult subject. The book is divided into manageable sections covering the history of man to events as recent as the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, is concisely written, flows well and is physically very well presented.
The book also contains a number of photographs representing iconic moments in the history of our world. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with a interest in history
It looks like the text has been quickly dumped and minimal consideration given to the formatting. As an ebook enthusiast, having bought books for the iPad in Apple's and Kindle format which I have been well pleased with, this is the first real disappointment and one occasion when the eBook is no substitute for the printed version, which is a very well presented volume.
It's misleading to show a price comparison of the printed book against the eBook when clearly the two items are not really comparable.
My main criticism is of what the author choses to include and exclude. We get a lot of names and dates that could have been excluded whereas topics that might give greater insight into world history such as the centuries' long rejection of printing by the Islamic world or that world's long intellectual stagnation after its golden age aren't covered.
We get the name of a ruler of the Third Dynasty of Ur but the battle in the channel of Salamis, "the eye of the needle through which world history had to pass" as it has been called and arguably the single most important day in European history, doesn't rate a mention. Marathon is mentioned only in connection with the race.
Certain wars, such as the Greco-Persian War that gets only passing mention, are disproportionately important to their size or casualties. Another is the US Civil War. For me it is so important for two reasons. Firstly, at that time it wasn't clear that democracy was a viable, stable, long-term option for a large state; the Civil War proved a democracy could survive an attempted secession. Secondly, it meant there was one American superpower capable of intervening decisively in 20th century world affairs rather than competing powers that European powers could play off against each other. These points aren't made but we are told what states certain battles took place in.
While the US does deserve disproportionate coverage I assume the fact that Canada, Australia and New Zealand get their own little sections is aimed more at sales than at historical balance.
At times the work reads as though it wasn't edited e.g. we get told of the introduction of the euro on page 329 and again on page 342. Similarly we get told about NAFTA on page 323 and again on page 342.
Similarly the work reads as though it wasn't fact-checked e.g. on page xxx we are told "the last witches were famously burnt in Salem..." No witches were burnt in Salem nor anyone wrongly convicted of being a witch; they were hung or crushed.
Similarly on page xxxiv we are told "(t)he voyages of discovery...embraced the whole globe, making it clear...the earth was round rather than flat." Clear to whom? The reader might conclude to other Europeans but no educated European for centuries had needed clarification. We are not told that when the Jesuits reached China they did find an educated elite who did think the earth was flat.
Strangely enough from the publishers of the Times Atlas of World History no maps are included. On the other hand the illustrations are particularly well chosen.
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