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The New Penguin History of the World Paperback – 30 Aug 2007

by J M Roberts (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 14 customer reviews
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The Penguin History of the World: 6th edition
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Product details

  • Paperback: 1264 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; 5 Rev Upd edition (30 Aug. 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0141030429
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141030425
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.7 x 5.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 359,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

`A brilliant book ... the most outstanding history of the world yet written' -- J. H. Plumb, author of The Italian Renaissance

`A stupendous achievement ... the unrivalled World History for our day' -- A. J. P. Taylor, Observer

`A work of outstanding breadth of scholarship and penetrating judgements. There is nothing better of its kind' -- Jonathan Sumption, Sunday Telegraph

`At once entertaining and scholarly ... a book as challenging as it is consistently absorbing' -- Christopher Hibbert, author of Nelson: A Personal History

`This is a book I would like to put into the hands of anyone interested in the past' -- Alan Bullock, author of Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives

From the Publisher

FULLY UPDATED AND REVISED EDITION

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Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 starsWarning: No penguins
By Daniel Owen on 13 Sept. 2011
Format: Paperback
This is an excellent book - thorough, detailed, well researched and well written. If you want to know about the history of the world, this book delivers. However, I have one gripe: despite the title, this book is, in fact, a history exclusively of humans in the world. When I got about six chapters in, I started to wonder when penguins would arrive on the scene. By about halfway through, I realised that the title is just false advertising - a cheap effort to hook you in, make you buy the book thinking it's about penguins, and then hope you won't notice because it is, otherwise, really good.

If you're looking for a penguin history of the world, look elsewhere. There are no penguins here. No discussion of significant penguins in world history, penguin culture or religion, or any analysis of a penguincentric historical timeline. I think this book should be renamed The New Human History of the World, to avoid this confusion. I can't be the only one disappointed at the lack of penguins.
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4.0 out of 5 starsHistory Unveiled
By demola on 5 July 2010
Format: Paperback
Huge and sweeping. For the first time you realise how vast history is especially when events that have whole books written about them are covered in only one or two pages here. I found the Euro-christian-centric sentimentality somewhat irritable though occasionally there is the nudge to Asia especially China. Nevertheless, this book is not going to replace more extensive readings on specific events, say Greece or Rome or the crusades or the French revolution etc. With accounts rushing past with such bracing speed, I felt I learnt more of history than from history. That said I don't know how else you can cover two hundred thousand years of homo sapiens existence. It took me a month to finish requiring patience and dogged brute force to get through its 1200 pages. But it's probably as good an overview as one is likely to get.
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4.0 out of 5 starsToo small for comfort
By Sam Johnson on 22 Nov. 2009
Format: Paperback
This particular paperback edition by Penguin, I find too small to fit comfortably in the hand owing to the thickness of the book. The print is as you would imagine not very large, and after a little while it makes my eyes ache. This chubby volume would have benefited by being of larger dimensions that would have invariably increased its cost a little. For such a work, I would have preferred to have paid the extra for the comfort and convenience.I Should have purchased the hard back...yes I know.
The contents of the book are of course first rate, by a great historian who will be sadly missed.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA very useful reference
By Study Shortcuts and Exam Tips from Oxford Grads on 22 April 2012
Format: Paperback
Magisterial. Should be on every history student's bookshelf. Very useful to read through to get an overview on a topic before looking at it in more detail. A quite gob-smacking work, to be honest.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBreathtaking. 6 Stars
By Basileus on 11 Sept. 2010
Format: Paperback
"The history of the world" portrays the history of mankind and civilization throughout the ages across the globe. The end result is 1200 pages of reasons and factors that have led to the rise, flourishing and decline of all the great and not-so-great civilizations. This is not a book so much about famous people and battles, but rather one concerning long term themes and influences in the fields of economy, culture, law, administrative organization, technology, military, religion, science, geopolitics and leadership.

Every page illustrates how erudite and knowledgeable Roberts must have been, this coupled with brilliant analysis makes for a revelatory read - for instance, explaining Middle Eastern issues in terms of Ottoman succession. Furthermore, there are seemingly endless little gems and eye-openers thrown in making it such an exciting adventure to read. For instance, since 1700 there have always been more scientists alive than dead and space travel is still the safest form of transport known to man.

There are only a few minor criticisms one can have. Roberts is European thus Eurocentric and perhaps to a lesser degree Anglo-centric. The maps are not always very clear; colour would make them more lucid and their placement within the book appears a little random at times. Finally, there are some statements presented as facts that have no unambiguous scientific evidence to back them up, the main example of this is James being the brother of Jesus. In the grand scheme of things, however, these are minor criticisms and do not diminish the magnificent read this book is.

It is impossible to describe the impact Roberts` book has had on my understanding of history, the secrets of civilization and the world today.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent book
By P. Gallagher on 9 Nov. 2008
Format: Paperback
It took me about two months to read this book but I never tired of it. It's actually split into a number of different books, so there's a new book for each different era, but of course there's quite a lot of overlap too. It's amazing how he covers the history of all the world's regions without becoming either too general or too detailed. Highly recommended!
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4.0 out of 5 starsGreat book
By Charlotte Parker on 3 Dec. 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Fabulous book to dip in and out of with very good information on things we should just know and don't!
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