A Little History of the World (Little Histories)

The international bestseller: E. H. Gombrich’s sweeping history of the world, for the curious of all ages “All stories begin with ‘Once upon a time.’ And that’s just what this story is all about: what happened, once upon a time.” So begins A Little History of the World , an engaging and lively book written for readers both young and old. Rather than focusing on dry facts and dates, E. H. Gombrich vividly brings the full span of human experience on Earth to life, from the stone age to the atomic age. He paints a colorful picture of wars and conquests; of grand works of art; of the advances and limitations of science; of remarkable people and remarkable events, from Confucius to Catherine the Great to Winston Churchill, and from the invention of art to the destruction of the Berlin Wall. For adults seeking a single-volume overview of world history, for students in search of a quick refresher course, or for families to read and learn from together, Gombrich’s Little History enchants and educates.

The international bestseller available in English for the first time: E. H. Gombrich’s world history for the curious of all ages...

Publishers Weekly

This is an unusual work for Yale: a children's history originally published 70 years ago. But it is a work one can quickly come to love. Gombrich, later known as an art historian, wrote this primer in 1935, when he was a young man in Vienna (it was soon banned by the Nazis as too "pacifist"). Rewritten (and updated) in English mainly by Gombrich himself (who died in 2001, age 92, while working on it), the book is still aimed at children, as the language makes clear: "Then, slowly the clouds parted to reveal the starry night of the Middle Ages." But while he addresses his readers directly at times, Gombrich never talks down to them. Using vivid imagery, storytelling and sly humor, he brings history to life in a way that adults as well as children can appreciate. The book displays a breadth of knowledge, as Gombrich begins with prehistoric man and ends with the close of WWII. In the final, newly added chapter, Gombrich's tone sadly darkens as he relates the rise of Hitler and his own escape from the Holocaust-children, he writes, "must learn from history how easy it is for human beings to be transformed into inhuman beings"-and ends on a note of cautious optimism about humanity's future. (Oct. 13) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, the 26-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited by a publishing acquaintance to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. Amazingly, he completed the task in an intense six weeks, and Eine kurze Weltgeschichte fr junge Leser was published in Vienna to immediate success, and is now available in seventeen languages across the world. Toward the end of his long life, Gombrich embarked upon a revision and, at last, an English translation. A Little History of the World presents his lively and involving history to English-language readers for the first time. Superbly designed and freshly illustrated, this is a book to be savored and collected. In forty concise chapters, Gombrich tells the story of man from the stone age to the atomic bomb. In between emerges a colorful picture of wars and conquests, grand works of art, and the spread and limitations of science. This is a text dominated not by dates and facts, but by the sweep of mankind's experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity's achievements and an acute witness to its frailties. The product of a generous and humane sensibility, this timeless account makes intelligible the full span of human history. In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, the 26-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited by a publishing acquaintance to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. Amazingly, he completed the task in an intense six weeks, and Eine kurze Weltgeschichte für junge Leser was published in Vienna to immediate success, and is now available in seventeen languages across the world. Toward the end of his long life, Gombrich embarked upon a revision and, at last, an English translation. A Little History of the World presents his lively and involving history to English-language readers for the first time. Superbly designed and freshly illustrated, this is a book to be savored and collected. In forty concise chapters, Gombrich tells the story of man from the stone age to the atomic bomb. In between emerges a colorful picture of wars and conquests, grand works of art, and the spread and limitations of science. This is a text dominated not by dates and facts, but by the sweep of mankind’s experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity’s achievements and an acute witness to its frailties. The product of a generous and humane sensibility, this timeless account makes intelligible the full span of human history. CONTENTS Preface 1 Once Upon A Time 2 The Greatest Inventors of All Time 3 The Land by the Nile 4 Sunday, Monday 5 The One and Only God 6 I C-A-N R-E-A-D 7 Heroes and their Weapons 8 An Uneaual Struggle 9 Two Small Cities in One Samll Land 10 The Enlightened One and his Land 11 The Greatest Teacher of A Great People 12 The Greatest Adventure of All 13 New War and New Warriers 14 An enemy of History 15 Rulers of the Western World 16 The Good News 17 Life in the empire at its Frontiers 18 The Storm 19 The Starry night Begins 20 There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet 21 A Conqueror who Knows How to Rule 22 A Struggle to Become Lord of Christendom 23 Chivalrous Knights 24 Emperors in the Age of Chivalry 25 Cities and Citizens 26 A New Age 27 A New World 28 A New Faith 29 The Church at War 30 Terrible Times 31 An Unlucky King and a Lucky King 32 Meanwhile, Looking Eastwards... 33 A Truly New Age 34 A Very Violent Revolution 35 The Last Conqueror 36 Men and Machines 37 Across the Seas 38 Two New States in Europe 39 Dividing up the New World 40 The Small Part of the History of the World Which I have Lived Through Myself: Looking Back "In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, the twenty-six-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited by a publishing acquaintance to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. Amazingly, he completed the task in an intense six weeks, and Eine kurze Weltgeschichte fur junge Leser was published in Vienna to immediate success. It is now available in eighteen languages across the world." "Toward the end of his long life, Gombrich embarked upon a revision and, at last, an English translation. A Little History of the World presents his lively and involving history to English-language readers for the first time." "In forty concise chapters, Gombrich tells the story of humanity from the stone age to the atomic bomb. In between emerges a colorful picture of wars and conquests, grand works of art, and the spread and limitations of science. This is a text dominated not by dates and facts, but by the sweep of experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity's achievements and an acute witness to its frailties."--Jacket Once upon a time The greatest inventors of all time The land by the Nile Sunday, Monday The one and only God I c-a-n r-e-a-d Heroes and their weapons An unequal struggle Two small cities in one small land The enlightened one and his land A great teacher of a great people The greatest adventure of all New wars and new warriors An enemy of history Rulers of the Western world The good news Life in the empire and at its frontiers The storm The starry night begins There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet A conqueror who knows how to rule A struggle to become lord of Christendom Chivalrous knights Emperors in the age of chivalry Cities and citizens A new age A new world A new faith The church at war Terrible times An unlucky king and a lucky king Meanwhile, looking eastwards A truly new age A very violent revolution The last conqueror Men and machines Across the seas Two new states in Europe Dividing up the world The small part of the history of the world which I have lived through myself : looking back Presents a brief, narrative history of the world for young readers, from the Stone Age up to the end of World War II.