When you are ambitious enough to write a history book encompassing everything from 200,000 years ago until the present day, you must determine what to include and what to leave out. The author of "The History Book" concentrated on events that had the most impact on the development (or demise) of different civilizations throughout the world.
I can't say enough about how the book was composed. Each section of the book lays out a timeline of dates and events covered during that period. Each event is then covered in a sub-section, which bullet points things that happened in history before and after the event being discussed. To achieve greater understanding with a minimum of words, diagrams are provided which detail how the event came to pass (using early humans as an example: "Foraging lifestyles rely on hunting/gathering" led to "Humans develop an intimate knowledge of animal and plant species" led to "Beliefs and practices emphasizing connectedness and communication start to develop" resulting in "The first examples of art, such as the cave paintings of Altamira, appear").
The book is an easy read, giving just enough information to understand without overloading you with every little fact. Sub-sections are usually no more than a few pages, enabling the reader to be able to set the book down and easily pick it back up at a later time. The author also does a good job staying in the middle and not choosing sides during discussions on religion and political systems.
I alternate between my Kindle Fire and Paperwhite. It was impossible to read the timelines on the Paperwhite; even though the Fire is only slightly bigger, it was enough to overcome the fine print, and I found I enjoyed the colored pictures and diagrams on the Fire as opposed to the black-and-white displays on the Paperwhite.
Basically, this is a good reference book that will give you an interesting overview on major events in history.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Popular Highlights in this book
“The value of history is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is.”Highlighted by 296 Kindle readers- The first writing was not invented until quite late in the human story—about 5,000 years ago.Highlighted by 251 Kindle readers
- Mesopotamia, which means “between two rivers,” lies between the Euphrates and the Tigris, and it is considered to be the first human civilization ever.Highlighted by 187 Kindle readers
From the Publisher
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Literature Book | The Feminism Book | The Politics Book | The Architecture Book | The Movie Book | The Art Book | |
| Customer Reviews |
1,148
|
445
|
1,540
|
32
|
730
|
359
|
| Price | $20.31 | $20.00 | $12.86 | $20.00 | $14.99 | $18.39 |
| Books in the series | Discover everything about your favourite movies, as well as celebrated classics, the films you need to see, through iconic quotes and film stills, posters, biographies, movie memorabilia and narrative timelines. | Exploring more than 100 of the most important ideas, organizations, and events to have defined the feminist movement. | An invaluable, easy-to-understand guide to world politics and government. | Learn about the evolution of construction, from ancient and classical architecture through Medieval, Gothic, and Renaissance buildings, Baroque and Rococo, to 19th-century emerging modernism and postmodernism and glittering skyscrapers. | Learn about Literature in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! | This fresh new guide examines the ideas that inspired masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Klimt, Matisse, Picasso, and dozens more! |
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
Better wrapping for overseas delivery please
Book - pictures and content are great.Delivery to Hong Kong from US was acceptable, took 10 days from order to arrival, 3 days earlier than the expected delivery date.Packaging - The book was placed in a box with zero protection, not even paper wrapping the book - this caused the top and bottom of the paper cover to curl. Whilst I appreciate the minimal packaging policies for ESG pledge, since this is an overseas delivery with the item 2 weeks on the go, bare minimum environmentally friendly wrapping would have been appreciated.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021
Top reviews from other countries
Rick Clark
Perfect read for the armchair historian.
Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2024martha rubi
Muy completo y sencillo. Gran libro.
Reviewed in Mexico on May 27, 2020
karthik
Awesome books with great illustrations
Reviewed in India on December 4, 2020Emmanuel
Another excellent publication from DK - Recommended.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2019