PNM - Pure Nintendo Magazine
Entertainment and Magazines & Newspapers
App
PNM is your #1 independent source for exclusive interviews, game previews, concept art, game...
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965
William Manchester and Paul Reid
Book
"Masterful ...The collaboration completes the Churchill portrait in a seamless manner, combining the...
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated A Short History of the World in Books
Aug 5, 2018
As I hoped, the book often reads like a novel, with 67 distinct sections, each like a mini story. In order to fit the history of the whole world into one book, by nature the story telling ranges from nice and rapid, to a little too rapid. I found it rather like a catalogue of numerous interesting little nuggets of information. Despite covering events from all over the world, the topics often flow seamlessly from one topic to the next. Due to so many overlapping topics, this history of the world isn't told in a linear purely chronological pattern, but has to go backwards a little, now and again.
At various times throughout, the stories are gripping and Wells successfully brings history to life. I particularly liked the various sections on religious leaders. Appropriately, Wells tackles religion as would any unbiased historian-become storyteller. I also enjoyed the beginning, where Wells paints a crystal clear picture of our solar system and the vast empty space that our dramas are within. His description of our galaxy sounds nothing short of beautiful.
The book was meant to be predominantly factual, but Wells did include a substantial amount of speculation and opinion. This does not distract from the storyline, but adds value in generating the concepts of the time periods.
It covers progress and prosperity as much as carnage and decimation, and provides good explanations of everything it covers. (Although it would benefit from more illustrations). At times it feels detail heavy but also gives the reader a feel for each age - the book is not limited to which country went to war with which country and when, but also examines changes in ways of thinking through the ages. Including the Ancient Greek philosophers, Arabian progress in maths and science, the advent of experimental science, and the development of political and social ideas in Wells’ time.
I was reassured to learn that despite not studying the history of the world in its entirety in school, I was already familiar with much of the book’s content. Having said that, there were also topics where I really felt I was learning something. I read Wells’ opinion on why the Roman Empire fell, and how the industrial revolution was not merely a revolution in machinery, but rather a revolution in how people conducted their everyday lives. There were also some important figures from history described that were never mentioned in my school days, particularly Charlemagne and Roger Bacon.
Towards the end of the book, Wells correctly predicts another war like that of the Great War. However his final message was one of faith and hope in humanity’s progress.
With such a huge scope, Wells must have struggled with deciding what topics to include and what to exclude. I thought he ought to have included a touch more detail on Ancient Egypt, and on the causes of the Great War (World War 1). As a British person myself I would have liked to have seen more on British history.
Likewise, if the book were written now rather than 1922 I began to speculate on what he would and wouldn’t have included. I imagine there would certainly be a section on World War 2, rockets into space, the internet, and 9/11. He would have provided an excellently conducted section on how humans are destroying the planet.
One of the beauties of this book has to be its availability. If you type “short history of the world” into Google, the free PDF of this book takes up much of the first 2 pages of results. If you’re sketchy on world history, this book will fill in the main blanks, and is worth a read if this is your aim, especially if you wish to do so quickly. The fact that it’s split up into so many succinct sections also means that you can pick up and put down the book as often as opportunity allows. It also works well as a reference book, as it does not need to be read from cover to cover in order to look up one particular event or time period.
In summary, this book would be a welcome addition to bookshelf (or ebook library) of the general non-fiction fan or historian.
Find more of my book review on www.bookblogbycari.com
The International Business Environment
Leslie Hamilton and Philip Webster
10.0
Rate It
Book
Will the expansion of the Chinese economy result in job losses in the USA? How can a natural...
The Wall Street Journal.
News and Magazines & Newspapers
App
Stay ahead of the competition with the app that’s as ambitious as you are. Get the trusted...
Mannethorn's Key (Key of Life Trilogy #1)
Book
"At the end of an age, a Bearer wielded the Key of Life and ended Dragon's Rule. Such powers and...
Epic Fantasy
Rickstrong23 (216 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Jan 2, 2018
Follow Scarlett as she wants to enter the world of Caraval the place she heard stories of since she and her sister were young. Follow Her adventure of escaping from her home only to learn that fantasies are just as dark and hard if not harder than reality. Watch as she learns to believes everything and nothing and get caught up in the dream yourself.
Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria: A Mirror to the World
Book
This book rewrites the history of jewellery in the age of Victoria. The 'age of Victoria' is taken...
Journal of Risk and Insurance
Education and Magazines & Newspapers
App
The Journal of Risk and Insurance App is now available on your iPad and iPhone. Published on behalf...