A Little History of the World

Now the publishers have added two hundred illustrations, mostly in colour, that enhance and extend the author's primary intention to arouse curiosity and enthusiasm for the history of mankind. Beautifully produced, with elegant typeface and spacious design, this edition will keep young and old enthralled. A timeless gift! -The Good Book Guide * The Good Book Guide * [T]his gem of a book. . . [has] a lovely, personal preface [and] reminds us how clever, eloquent and inspiring an account EH Gombrich gave us for ourselves. -The Independent * The Independent * 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 -- Oliver Barker * Art Newspaper * The book is remarkable as an introduction to World history. Its style is unique...beautifully designed. -Cassone * Cassone * ......wonderful.... -Charlie Higson, Mail on Sunday (Christmas Books) -- Charlie Higson * Mail on Sunday (Christmas Books) * [A] brisk, clear-eyed trot through the centuries. -Tom Beer, Maine Sunday Telegram -- Tom Beer * Maine Sunday Telegram * Every household should have this book....enriching and enhancing...It makes for an excellent introduction to the world's history for knowledge-thirsty teenagers and upwards. -Mary Lussiana, Country & Town House (Books of the Year) -- Mary Lussiana * Country & Town House (Books of the Year) * Beautifully produced, with elegant typeface and spacious design, this edition will keep old and young enthralled. A Timeless gift! -The Good Book Guide * The Good Book Guide * Now in a new fully illustrated format could there be any better book to inspire the historians of tomorrow?....We will all want this elegiac, deceptively simple and elegant history....a lovely piece of book production....Yale has done the author proud, producing something that, in the age of electronic publishing, shows just what's so special about the printed book. -Sue Baker, Lovereading -- Sue Baker * Lovereading * A perennial favourite, this is the illustrated edition of Gombrich's brilliant history and contains 200 pictures, nearly all of them full colour. -Sonali Chapman, The Oldie -- Sonali Chapman * The Oldie * Delightful...charming. -PopMatters * PopMatters * This is a lovely book which would be a fine addition to any bookshelf. Or better still, plonked into the lap of the nearest child. -Trevor Heaton, Eastern Daily Express (Saturday Magazine) -- Trevor Heaton * Eastern Daily Express (Saturday Magazine) * It certainly couldn't be done more agreeably:.. a perfect birthday present for a child with an enquiring mind. I wish it had been available when I was young. -Allan Massie, Literary Review -- Allan Massie * Literary Review * Written for children, this book is a source of entertainment and revision for adults too. Devoid of pretension and condescension it demonstrates how fluid communication between the generations can be. Without resorting to technical jargon or a raft of dates Gombrich has produced a text that appeals to all ages and inspires further reading... Entertaining, information and enlightening, it will send the reader on a voyage of (re)discovery of the great story of our world. -Elizabeth Reid, Kensington Magazine -- Elizabeth Reid * Kensington Magazine * ... a joyful book... -Richard Aldous, Irish Times -- Richard Aldous * Irish 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 -- Bettany Hughes * The Times * ... an engrossing kaleidoscopic account of global history from the ancient Egyptians to the Treaty of Versailles. -Tristram Hunt, BBC History Magazine -- Tristram Hunt * BBC History Magazine * ... the main body of the book retains an irresistible, boyish energy and enthusiasm... Here, in this little book are answers to many of the questions you never dared to ask. -Margaret Drabble, New Statesman -- Margaret Drabble * New Statesman * 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 -- Amanda Vickery * Guardian Review * ... 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 millenium, and the smallness of the differences between people. A delight. -Robert Hanks, The Daily Telegraph -- Robert Hanks * Daily Telegraph * 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.N. Wilson * Times Literary Supplement * 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 -- Scott McLemee * Newsday * ... ostensibly a book for children, designed to present a chronology of world history, but it's a delight for all ages. The pages sparkle with the learned author's wit and wisdom - and reading them, one feels as if Gombrich, one of the greatest ever art historians, is guiding one through time with a grandfatherly gleam in his eye. -Ben Schott, The Observer -- Ben Schott * The Observer * Christmas gift of the year is surely . . . A Little History of the World. This is a magical work for children. . . . Perfect for bedrime reading. -John Banville, Irish Times -- John Banville * Irish 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 -- Lisa Jardine * The Times * 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 -- Philip Pullman 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 -- Edward Rothstein * New York Times * 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 -- Anthony Grafton * Wall Street Journal * A timeless and engaging narrative of the human race. -Booklist * Booklist * 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 -- Amanda Vickery * Guardian Review * 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 -- Patricia S. Schroeder 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 -- Scott McLemee * Newsday * Brilliant, irresistible: a wonderful surprise. -Philip Pullman -- Philip Pullman 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 -- Philip Kennicott * The Washington Post *