Product Description

The definitive, 4.4 million year-old story of human history From the origins of mankind to the 21st century, spanning the globe and based on the latest research, the complete story of the people, events, themes, ideas and forces that have shaped human existence. Find out about our history’s turning points: eye witness accounts and biographies give a personal angle to major events. Explore humankind’s legacy from architecture and artefacts to the big ideas that have changed our world. Examine the effect we’ve had on nature and vice versa. And discover how the past has been unlocked: from interpreting ancient documents to analysing ice cores. A compelling look at human existence: perfect for the family bookshelf.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3401 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 612 pages

The Times, September 22, 2007
"A remarkable new book"

The Times, September 22, 2007
"...the sheer range of information and its vivid presentation add up to a triumph."

About the Author
Adam Hart Davis has worked and presented on major TV series including Local Heroes, Top Ten Treasures, Tomorrow’s World, What The Stuarts Did For Us, What The Victorians Did For Us, What The Romans Did For Us, and recently What The Ancients Did For Us. He lives in the West of England.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful and incredibly interesting
This book is just what you need if you have an interest in the . . interesting bits . . of history. It's FULL of really beautiful imagery and makes you wonder how they crammed so much written information in with all of the pictures.

The book is designed in spreads - so each double page spread is a specific period in history. In other words, you can dip in and out of this book as you like and there is no need to read it from front to back. It starts with 6 million year old skulls - just to let you know how much history is involved here.

The book is pretty weighty - and about the length/width of a laptop. The front cover is horrible compared to what's inside. I'm not a heavy reader myself but find this book very easy to read - and enjoyable!

History
In 'History' you have a beautifully presented overview of world history in a large coffee table book format. The photography and illustrations are superb and this manages to cover a wide range of periods and locations from around the world within its pages. There are plenty of timelines to introduce each section, as well as a detailed country by country breakdown of key events at the back. This also has double page spreads to focus on key figures and events from history, like Martin Luther King and 911 to name but two as example. As you would expect in a book and theme of this scope, the various topics are very brief and this only serves as an introduction to any given topic for you to then pursue in greater depth if you so wish. This is very much one to dip in and out of and makes for fascinating reading in an attractive and well laid out format. A worthy addition to any reference bookshelf.

From an actual reader
History: The Definitive Visual Guide
I had the luck to buy from an "bricks and mortar" seller and can say, in my opinion, the book is as good as the reviews above suggest it.

It covers a wide range of civilisations (including Asian, African, South American and lesser-known Indian ones) in a concise and clear manner. It covers the salient points in a clear and engaging manner, makes you want to know more and places each civilisation in geographical, topological and cultural context.

Although offering an overview of every civilisation, it is more a taster book than a detailed study of any civilisation. Great starting point for an overview of civilisation and their roles in history.