A Little History of the World: Illustrated Edition (Little Histories) Kindle Edition
by E. H. Gombrich (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 269 ratings
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Print length
363 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Yale University Press
Publication date
October 1, 2014
E. H. Gombrich's Little History of the World, though written in 1935, has become one of the treasures of historical writing since its first publication in English in 2005. The Yale edition alone has now sold over half a million copies, and the book is available worldwide in almost thirty languages.
Gombrich was of course the best-known art historian of his time, and his text suggests illustrations on every page. This illustrated edition of the Little History brings together the pellucid humanity of his narrative with the images that may well have been in his mind's eye as he wrote the book. The two hundred illustrations—most of them in full color—are not simple embellishments, though they are beautiful. They emerge from the text, enrich the author's intention, and deepen the pleasure of reading this remarkable work.
For this edition the text is reset in a spacious format, flowing around illustrations that range from paintings to line drawings, emblems, motifs, and symbols. The book incorporates freshly drawn maps, a revised preface, and a new index.
Blending high-grade design, fine paper, and classic binding, this is both a sumptuous gift book and an enhanced edition of a timeless account of human history.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Sumptuously illustrated. . . . Perfect for reading to alert and curious children, but it’s even better as a secret pleasure, read alone, with no children in sight."—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post
"Gombrich opens with the most magical definition of history I have ever read. . . . Tolerance, reason and humanity . . . suffuse every page of the Little History."—Amanda Vickery, Guardian Review
"In simple, vivid prose, Gombrich surveys the human past from pre-history to his own time. . . . Lucky children will have this book read to them. Intelligent adults will read it for themselves and regain contact with the spirit of European humanism at its best."—Anthony Grafton, Wall Street Journal
"In simple, vivid prose, Gombrich surveys the human past from pre-history to his own time. . . . Lucky children will have this book read to them. Intelligent adults will read it for themselves and regain contact with the spirit of European humanism at its best."—Anthony Grafton, Wall Street Journal
"A remarkable book, written in an amiable, conversational style, effortlessly explaining, without condescension, difficult matters like the achievements of Charlemagne, the monetary system of medieval Europe and the ideas of the Enlightenment. . . . This resurrected history deserves reading for all its delights."—Edward Rothstein, New York Times
"His enthusiasm for his subject is irresistible. . . . With Gombrich's Little History, at last available in English there will be many generations of future historians who will attribute to it their lifelong passion for history - and for truth."—Lisa Jardine, The Times
"I am going to buy ten copies of this book and give it to my ten favourite children . . . this is a book which teaches what it is to be civilised by its very tone, which is one of gentleness, curiosity and erudition."—A.N. Wilson, Times Literary Supplement
". . . a marvellous antidote to history without chronology: the whole experience of human history, from prehistory to the Second World War, compressed into a flowing narrative . . . [Gombrich] excels in creating a sense of the continuities of history - the ways in which human nature has not budged over the millennium, and the smallness of the differences between people. A delight."—Robert Hanks, The Daily Telegraph
"Gombrich opens with the most magical definition of history I have ever read. . . . Tolerance, reason and humanity . . . suffuse every page of the Little History."—Amanda Vickery, Guardian Review
"A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich is a bedtime treat to share with my two children and proof that brilliance and perspicacity needn't be stuffy."—Bettany Hughes, The Times
"A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich is a bedtime treat to share with my two children and proof that brilliance and perspicacity needn't be stuffy."—Bettany Hughes, The Times
"A work firmly aimed at educating young readers . . . [I] marvelled at Gombrich’s uncomplicated presentation and brilliantly digestible prose when grappling with such awe-inspiring subject matter."—Oliver Barker, Art Newspaper
"Delightful . . . charming."—PopMatters
"A masterpiece of nonfiction writing for children. It is a wry and charming book, perfectly suited to the capacities of a 10-year-old, but also remarkably free of condescension. An adult can read it with pleasure. And, indeed, with instruction."—Scott McLemee, Newsday
"A timeless and engaging narrative of the human race."—Booklist
"A masterpiece of nonfiction writing for children. It is a wry and charming book, perfectly suited to the capacities of a 10-year-old, but also remarkably free of condescension. An adult can read it with pleasure. And, indeed, with instruction."—Scott McLemee, Newsday
"[A] brisk, clear-eyed trot through the centuries."—Tom Beer, Maine Sunday Telegram
"Brilliant, irresistible: a wonderful surprise."—Philip Pullman
"Imagine the full story of human habitation on our planet being told in such flowing prose that you want to read it out loud. If you can't imagine that, read A Little History of the World and experience it!"—Patricia S. Schroeder, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers and Former U.S. Representative from Colorado
"A brilliant piece of narrative, splendidly organised, told with an energy and confidence that are enormously attractive, and suffused with all the humanity and generosity of spirit that Gombrich's thousands of admirers came to cherish during his long and richly productive life. It's a wonderful surprise: irresistible, in fact."—Philip Pullman
"A brilliant piece of narrative, splendidly organised, told with an energy and confidence that are enormously attractive, and suffused with all the humanity and generosity of spirit that Gombrich's thousands of admirers came to cherish during his long and richly productive life. It's a wonderful surprise: irresistible, in fact."—Philip Pullman
--This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
E. H. Gombrich was the author of the international classic The Story of Art. Winner of the Erasmus Prize, the Hegel Prize, the Wittgenstein Prize, and the Goethe Prize, he was admitted to Britain's highest honor, the Order of Merit, in 1988. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Product details
ASIN : B00O8ZHEHK
Publisher : Yale University Press; Illustrated Edition (October 1, 2014)
Publication date : October 1, 2014
Language : English
File size : 27334 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 363 pages
Lending : Not Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #397,863 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
#2,441 in World History (Kindle Store)
#19,297 in World History (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.6 out of 5 stars 269 ratings
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Biography
Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich, OM, CBE (30 March 1909 - 3 November 2001) was an Austrian-born art historian who spent most of his working life in the United Kingdom. He is the author of many works of art criticism and art history. (Photograph: Pino Guidolotti)
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year old world history little history illustrated version started reading history of the world short chapters young and old make sure european history really enjoying must read easy to understand read aloud easy to read book for kids got this book enjoy reading great job pleasure to read
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TheBarefootHistorian
5.0 out of 5 stars Quite happy with this purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2017
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As a historian and writer, it is important to me that my children have a solid knowledge of the foundations of today’s world. I find myself constantly sharing interesting stories from history—tidbits that might interest 8 and 11 year old girls—but not really creating an overarching picture of the world’s timeline. I was turned on to this book while reading Desperate Sons: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, and the Secret Bands of Radicals Who Led the Colonies to War by Les Standiford which made reference to A Little History of the World being a great breakdown of world history for children. My 8 year old and I have been reading it together and she’s really enjoying it. I love that the book is written in a way that’s not condescending—as most kids books about adult topics tend to be—but it’s also not so lofty that I’m having to stop to explain something every few minutes. While it’s geared towards children, it was written in 1935-a time when people had much higher expectations for children-so it’s a very pleasant read for adults as well. This is a great buy, a beautiful book, and a wonderful foundation for young learners.
7 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars This Book...JUST BUY IT!
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2016
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Wow, I could go on for days about the virtues of this book. It is truly *that* great. It is written for young-ish readers, but it is also perfect for adults who want a refresher course or to learn the things that were skipped over in high school and/or college. This book may be a condensed version of history, but it is packed full of the necessary facts and is invaluable in the simplistic way in which it I stills in its readers an understanding of events that occurred in different places and times, as well as events that happened in different places at THE SAME TIME. I purchased this book for my homeschooled 9th grader, but my husband and I both have fought over it nightly ever since it arrived. Bottom line: buy it. You won't be disappointed.
36 people found this helpful
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NOLAgal
4.0 out of 5 stars A painless way to learn world history
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2018
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This is a useful book for someone like me whose knowledge of world history is sketchy. Gombrich covers all the history of the whole world in a clear and entertaining way. The reason for only four stars is he is frequently chatty, pausing to address a chatty remark directly to the reader who seems in his mind to be about 8 years old. However, the material covered and the language used are way too sophisticated for children below their teens. That aside, I've learned a lot and am much better at Jeopardy as a result.
8 people found this helpful
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LittleT
5.0 out of 5 stars Great history book for kids
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2021
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I first borrowed this from our library. I love this book so much I decided to get my own copy. It's written in roughly chronological order and touches on a wide variety of ancient-modern history/culture. I'm using it as an introduction to history with my kids ages 6 and under. It is a bit over their heads at times but that is too be expected. I'd guess it's more for 8-12. Especially if they are going to read it on their own. It takes a casual narrative approach. It's almost like listening to a beloved friend telling a series of short stories. It manages to focus on the facts and still have a personal and kind of playful tone.
Most chapters really capture my kids attention and a few don't. They really love the pictures of artifacts and art.
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Mohamed
3.0 out of 5 stars Great book, few shortcomings.
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2021
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The book, the narrative, and the production are all very good. But one must be sure to recognize that it is a very brief introduction and does not give each period its full justice. The reason for the 3 stars is that in some places the text sounds too authoritative yet it has false information.
Since I know most about the Islamic History then I'll elaborate on that chapter- the chapter uses few verses from the Quran without giving context, in fact in page 135, not only was there no context, but Gombrich claims that the Arabs killed or forcefully turned ALL the residents of Arabia to Islam. This is a claim that is inconsistent with all the available historic texts we have hitherto; not only inconsistent, but it is in fact the opposite of both History and the Quran itself.
So yes, as I said, the book is a wonderful introduction to world history, but by no means is it an authoritative text; nor does it give full justice due to the briefness of it.
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Shirlpo
3.0 out of 5 stars Printer Error Towards End Of The Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2019
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I got the book for a gift. From what I read online besides Amazon the book is supposed to be good. Luckily I flipped through the book to check it out. Only to find about 3 pages where the print was a messed and you couldn't read it. I returned the book no problem. Since this book was a gift I didn't have time to have another book sent to me. Since the return for me was easy. You might want to give the book a try and hope the print is fine. Hopefully they have gone through all the books to make sure the pull the ones that have a print problem.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Teachers should read this.
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2020
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I really enjoy this book. It paints a picture well of history. It is very light when it comes to dates and facts but it is enjoyable. If you teach history to middle or high schoolers, I would use this for students who might not “get” history. Like, what don’t you get. Things happened in the past. Maybe you should get off your phones and listen to your grandpa tell this story you think is “racist” and try to understand what happened. The world changes but it does swing back to the same constant. Maybe if you likes history you would understand this, but no, keep living in your perfect world.
2 people found this helpful
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TheWildBoy
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read with some awesome visuals!
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2018
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As the saying goes, to know the future you have to study the past. It took me some time to read this book but there are some great short stories and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the history in short 300 pages.
The whole thing goes like a story and is very easy to read. I have read other history books and this one is my favorite!
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Djilly L.
2.0 out of 5 stars Pass
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2018
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As a history enthusiast I had high expectations of this book that was recommended to me by a friend. I don’t mind so much to read about things over and over again and I expected there to be not much news.
Now the book is nicely written and indeed quite accessible for younger readers. And it also includes a neat instruction about the author.
However, I got quite bored reading the book. Again, I didn’t expect to learn about new facts. But the overarching purpose of putting historical events into a wider context left me none the wiser. Perhaps the book is a great summary for younger readers or people with limited historical awareness but to me most connections and sequence of events were pretty obvious.
Besides, it remains a pretty dull read for children in my view, despite the illustrations that were added to the copy I ordered.
I suppose this was great for some younger readers in a different age, but I wouldn’t blame my children if they gained similar knowledge and insights from more lively digital content.
One person found this helpful
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Chris Dell
5.0 out of 5 stars A fine book on world history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2014
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If I had this book while at school I would have understood and enjoyed the subject of world history far more. Of course one cannot expect to cover all world history in a single volume but it succeeds very well in describing the most crucial world events from the beginning of human existence through to modern warfare in the 20th century. This new version of the book is well illustrated throughout; the maps in particular show very clearly how the moving boundaries have shaped the political world as we know it today.
5 people found this helpful
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Sally Cinnamon
5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible journey through history, with many lessons for our present and future
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2020
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I can't believe that Gombrich wrote this when he was 26, in six weeks! I had read The Story of Art but didn't know this book existed until I stumbled upon it. It is amazing that it manages to be brilliant for children (his intended audience), and adults - it is clearly written, erudite and wise. Highly recommended.
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Robert Keirans
5.0 out of 5 stars great writer
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2019
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Very happy
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Pham Minh Son
1.0 out of 5 stars Not very interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2020
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I recommend that adults read this because it isn’t very interesting for children. They should make it more interesting. The title isn’t interesting in the first place.
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