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A Little History of the World (Hardcover)

by E. H. Gombrich (Author) "All stories begin with 'Once upon a time' ..." (more)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
Price: £14.24 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press; Rep Tra edition (22 Sep 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0300108834
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300108835
  • Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.8 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 49,710 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #7 in  Books > Children's Books > Reference > History & Geography

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Product Description

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

Literary Review, September 2005
'...a perfect present for a child with an enquiring mind. I wish it had been available when I was young.'

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
All stories begin with 'Once upon a time'. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

54 Reviews
5 star:
 (31)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (54 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars For all ages, 17 Aug 2006
By sydney (London, UK) - See all my reviews
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...
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible history in a beautiful book, 5 Oct 2005
'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.
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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A keeper., 7 Oct 2005
By A Customer
Worth it just for the quality of paper, binding, cover and engravings alone. (First time in months I have seen a brand new hardback printed in the UK.) The quality of production and writing are superb. This is an interesting historical artifact by itself, having been written for children in 1935. That fact needs to be borne in mind during those moments when the book inevitably 'skims' over large subjects. I would recommend this just as a good read and a nicely finished book rather than look to it as an academic work.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book
This is a beautifully presented book written in distant sytle of English and, whilst I struggled with this style at times, children that have borrowed it have been enchanted with... Read more
Published 8 days ago by A. Betts

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice idea
This book is a very nice idea indeed: short chapters give snapshots of the history of human civilization. Read more
Published 29 days ago by S. Pawley

5.0 out of 5 stars a little history of the world
I highly recommend the purchase of this book. It is extremely interesting and well written.
Published 29 days ago by C. Copeland

5.0 out of 5 stars A concise history of the world written in the style of a novel
This is quite simply one of the best books I've ever read.

The book is designed for children. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. S. A. Blake

5.0 out of 5 stars Child Friendly!!!!!
An elegantly written, illustrated and produced history book, designed as a general introduction to the study of the subject for children. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Philippa Leah

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different Perspective on World History
A comprehensive and entertaining history of the world told from the perspective of 1930s Vienna. Central European history is much more pronounced than you would find in a... Read more
Published 2 months ago by P. M. Skelton

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
There is a certain joy in discovering truths about events and people who have previously been misreported or entirely ignored. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Cudbertson

4.0 out of 5 stars Knowing our world one step at a time
This book takes you on a journey of discovery - how integrated and overlapping the events of our world actually are. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. J. M. B. Harding

5.0 out of 5 stars Honestly, how adorable does a history of the world need to be?
Answer: it doesn't need to be this cute, but that it is, is testament to the generosity of E. H. Gombrich's didactic mind and a grace note in the dense, satisfying, contradictory,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by ghandibob

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable, beautiful summation of world history
This is a most enjoyable book and does what it sets out to do - to provide a readable world history for young people. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mark Loughridge

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