From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day

The wonderful graphics of this volume do make it entertaining and informative. But note that this is an episodic book, with about 150 historical events, all getting exactly a two-page visual treatment. This cookie-cutter approach can make the events appear to have the same significance, and also there is no connection made between them. Thus "The Napoleonic Wars" follows "The French Revolution" two-pager, treating them as separate occurrences, which they by no means are. To really understand the STORY of history, one needs to read a good continuous account, using this as an enjoyable supplement. Its biggest appeal to me has been as a great browzing book, which I often open up randomly to read up on some event, like "Celtic warriors," that I know little about.

The paperback edition of this big book has several advantages over the hardcover. It costs less, and--what I most like--it is lighter and less bulky to hold on your lap when reading. The print font is slightly smaller, so some people may still prefer the hardback.

I bought this book because I had only ten dollars to spend on a gift card and only a minute to decide what to get. I must say I did incredibly well choosing this book.

Here's why: History this big need pictures. When you are spanning millions of years and every ocean and continent, visuals work best to convey the monumental. But that's not enough. You need to select the telling detail, the specifics that bring an entire nation and a moment in time alive. This history does that well too. The text is well done as well. Not too personal but engaging, not too political but aware of the times we live in and choices we have made.

The tone is good too. Not overly cheerful or hopeful but neither glum and nihilistic either. This history sees us as striving creatures who built imperfectly with fits and starts on what we had. There is no reason to believe that our advancement will continue unabated. Thousands of years of recorded history, many thousands more of unrecorded history give us plenty of clues that we are in for setbacks. We could soar too. Maybe we will setback and soar in the human future, creating a new epoch of our history.

My biggest criticism is too few maps. To understand the world, maps are essential because they place happenings into a real environment. Just as with photos of people, places and artifacts, maps create opportunity for the reader to make the big connection they won't make without the visual cues and clues.

Literally, human history... condensed. This gorgeous production by the Smithsonian Institution could be a college textbook if the history of civilization wasn't too broad a subject. Whatever moment of history might pique one's interest, the seeds of that topic are likely be found within these pages. I recommend casually flipping to any page in this volume because I can almost guarantee you'll discover something new once there.

DK Publisher's History: The Definitive Visual Guide is a grandiose and impressive tour of civilization from its dawn to the present age. I had read one of DK's previous book on world history called the History of the World published in 1994. I have read several DK books and all of them are of superb quality, especially the graphics in which they excel. This book is no exception. Their previous book on world history seemed to be too compacted with almost too many illustrations on one page. Their present book is in a larger format - the book seems to be a fourth larger which is a better size considering the sweeping scope of world history. This book is divided into Seven Major Sections covering the broad march of world history in the following seven major sections in chronological sequence:

1 ORIGIN - 4.5 million years ago to 3000 BCE
2 RULERS & HIERARCHIES - 3000-700 BCE
3 THINKERS & BELIEVERS 700 BCE-600 CE
4 WARRIORS, TRAVELERS & INVENTORS 600-1450
5 RENAISSANCE & REFORMATION 1450-1750
6 INDUSTRY & REVOLUTION 1750-1914
7 POPULATION & POWER 1914-PRESEN

At the end of the seven main themes, book sets out to survey NATIONAL HISTORIES by Continents:North and South America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania in altogether about 100 pages.

Each major section has a time line of five rows noting the highlights of a particular time span. Noteworthy also is the color-coding of the right hand edge with a distinctive color for each section making it easier to return or find a certain area.

This book is extremely well-organized. Each section is broken down into subsections. For example the first section, ORGINS, begins with Our Remote Ancestors. Each subsection has a BEFORE BOX in which key points are noted preceding this section and also a AFTER BOX which outlines the result of this time period. This pattern is followed throughout the book making it easier for students and others to see the period in a larger historic perspective. In this first section in the BEFORE BOX it looks briefly at the Human Family noting that chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, we share 99 percent of our genes , but the one percent difference is what makes us human. It surveys briefly our oldest prehistoric ancestors. Some of these ancestors may have end died-out. Next, it discusses the molecular clock which Started with the last common ancestor of man and dates the split between man and chimpanzees .The AFTER BOX for this section notes that the arrival of homo sapiens may have signaled the end of the Neanderthal Man.

Another outstanding feature of this book is that most all subtopic are cover in two facing pages which makes it much easier to grasp and understand. This book is packed full of wonderful color illustrations. This would make an ideal gift for almost any student in elementary, high school or college.

If you would like to see my last book review in the Search Box on the store type in Smithsonian's Earth. This is a wonderful book published by the Smithsonian Institute a few years ago but still may be on the market.

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.

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Chronicling human progress doesn't get any better than this. History: The Definitive Visual Guide (From The Dawn Of Civilization To The Present Day) does the subject justice. It's not going to replace your history textbooks from school but the visual and textual information presents human history in a light like no other source. It is told from the point of view of evolution and how we, as a species, have advanced physically, mentally, and socially through the years. The story unfolds as we begin as a hunter-gatherer species descended from the great apes to an agrarian society settling down to tame the land to creatures using machines driven by the Industrial Revolution to get more done in less time to a global society driven by knowledge gained from our exploits in space and our access to information via the Internet. It is more than just a volume about the rise and fall of great empires. It is more than just a list of dates or of kings, queens, and presidents. It is our story. It is about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. You'll be surprised to learn that there are histories about every nation today on earth in the back of the book. This is a must-have reference. If you don't already own it, consider buying it today.

This book is visually stunning, endlessly entertaining and educational, and explores history through every imaginable angle, holding it up to the clear light of academic exploration. You can read it from cover to cover, flip through it for quick, factual insights, or explore some area for specialized focus.

It is so well done, that it will (I guarantee) hold inexhaustable fascination for you and everyone in your household. Where did we come from and where are we going? Find your answers here.

Perfection! I adore it.

A pleasure to have around the house.
People of all ages love to scan the book -- some even read the captions. Most impressive is the interest it sparks in History for younger children who often go back to the book over and over as they grow, each time getting something new from it.

The younger ones like to flip through the high quality pictures, slightly older ones ask questions (which is a great opportunity to show them some other book / cartoon or video related to it)* and if lucky, they entertain themselves for a good amount of time. The "Young Adults" are likely to read some of the text and perhaps take an interest in a part of our long and colourful history.

Four stars out of Five for being an excellent starters book for anyone with an interest in History, the applicability for a range of ages, and for being a great conversation starter / interest spark-er.

Missing star for not having textbook level accuracy and not being suitable for in depth study. Though, perhaps it is better this way.

Over all, a wonderful purchase and addition to the home library.

*Recommended
The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus (3 Complete Adventures in One Volume, Vol. 1) and others like such.

Ancient Egypt (DK Eyewitness Books)
I've found Eyewitness books to be extremely good for kids aprox. aged 9 through 13.

This is an excellent book, updated to 2015. It covers all areas of history and doesn't dwell extensively on any one area (a double page on each), only brief description of "wars". Covers all countries even though it is published in UK. An excellent back page summary of every country and the important events in each.History: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day

humans,or homo sapiens took over the dominance of planet earth from its other inhabitants some 4.5 million years ago.its going to be astonishing achievement to cover our grand tale in one volume.but dk done it with such a astounding way that anyone will amazed at the sheer amount of information compressed in to the high quality spreads.no need to repeat other reviewers have said before.simply put this is the grandest reference work out there for anyone interested in who we are,where we came from & most importantly where are we going from here.fascinating.anyone who is not aware of our tale are punished to read this book from cover to cover.dk if you are seeing this we need visual guides on fish,reptile & trees of this quality.

I love this book. It starts with a chapter titled Our Remote Ancestors about how humans evolved and ends with a chapter titled Shrinking World about developments in communication and technology and how they have changed the world. The book is big. 12 x 10.5 x 1.75. It is full of pictures. This book reminds me of the wonderful travel guide books that DK publishes. History is a guidebook to the history of the human race. There are hundreds of wonderful pictures, maps, timelines and charts. This is a book that viscerally appeals to me. Since it arrived I have enjoyed opening it and browsing at every opportunity.

The other thing that I love about this book is that it allows me to find answers to the random historical questions that often come up when I am traveling, reading the newspaper or watching historical fiction on TV. I have three examples of this.

A recent visit to the ancient bristle cone pines made me want to understand more about ancient civilizations and human migrations. History: The Definitive Visual Guide allowed me to satisfy my curiosity.

History: The Definitive Visual Guide helps me to understand the historical backgrounds of the presidential biographies I have been reading.

A waitress recently told us she was from Moldova. I knew almost nothing about Moldova. One of the nice features of History: The Definitive Visual Guide is that it has a 110 page section that traces the individual histories of the world's 193 countries. When we got home I read up on the history of Moldova.

In my opinion History: The Definitive Visual Guide is a must have for anyone who is fascinated by history. I highly recommend this book. It would make a great Christmas present!

The book covers wide variety of topics but unfortunately the quality of the knowledge is poor and misleading.
Some sections are very subjective and randomly collected. There are for sure better "History" books.

I believe a history book should provide an objective view of what happening in history. We read history books because we don't know exactly what happened in the 18th century or what happened in the 1960's in other countries(especially in a different culture). Flaws that disrupt the objectiveness of history views should be considered very serious. While I'm satisfied with most of this book about Europe and Eastern civilizations, I am completely disappointed about the materials provided about China and Tibet in page 579 and about the history of Taiwan in page 580. I'm a Chinese and I know the communist party lied a lot about the history and I hate that, what I see in P579 and P580 are the same lies, if not worse. In P579, the small box titled "Lhasa uprising, 1959", is totally wrong and is not objective. It is true that the PLA "invade" Lhasa in 1950, but before that, Lhasa is in EXTREME POOR condition, and people's living conditions is far below world standards(they are at least 200 years behind), there is even slavery in there(far more serious than America before the civil war, if the PLA does not "invade" Lhasa, if the government does not build roads lead to Lhasa, slavery will still exist nowadays, Dalailama is a spiritual leader that kills people). Though there is little freedom in China, I believe there is religion freedom nowadays. You can choose what you believe, there is Christian church in each major city. As to Lhasa, this is even more true. PLA brings true liberty, give Tibet people the right to LIVE and EAT, give them modern technologies, even railroads! What American troops bring to Iraq? As to P580, the authors fail to list the record of Chinese occupying Taiwan Island before 1590. The fact is there is a record of Taiwan Island in Chinese history for more than 1700 years and the first group of people landing the island is from southern China. Far more earlier than Portuguese sailors. The book fails to provide all the fact to readers. Readers are easily mislead. What you read in the book will definitely effect your point of view on historical events. I find it hard to believe the materials provided in the book anymore as I'm completely new to many of its topics thus more easily to be mislead. Just like most of you who don't know China after reading P579 will believe Tibet should be independent and after reading P580 would believe Taiwan should belong to Portuguese.

I have finished half of it. Besides the many typos, the book has several errors. For example:
1. The Chinese drawing was about Qing Ming Festival, not Spring Festival.
2. Independence War: the first shot was fired in Lexington, Massachusetts, not Lexington, Kentucky.

The author, who clearly is not an expert in history, should have this book proofread by an expert and publish an errata as soon as possible.

The book covers wide variety of topics but unfortunately the quality of the knowledge is poor and misleading.
Some sections are very subjective and randomly collected. There are for sure better "History" books.

I believe a history book should provide an objective view of what happening in history. We read history books because we don't know exactly what happened in the 18th century or what happened in the 1960's in other countries(especially in a different culture). Flaws that disrupt the objectiveness of history views should be considered very serious. While I'm satisfied with most of this book about Europe and Eastern civilizations, I am completely disappointed about the materials provided about China and Tibet in page 579 and about the history of Taiwan in page 580. I'm a Chinese and I know the communist party lied a lot about the history and I hate that, what I see in P579 and P580 are the same lies, if not worse. In P579, the small box titled "Lhasa uprising, 1959", is totally wrong and is not objective. It is true that the PLA "invade" Lhasa in 1950, but before that, Lhasa is in EXTREME POOR condition, and people's living conditions is far below world standards(they are at least 200 years behind), there is even slavery in there(far more serious than America before the civil war, if the PLA does not "invade" Lhasa, if the government does not build roads lead to Lhasa, slavery will still exist nowadays, Dalailama is a spiritual leader that kills people). Though there is little freedom in China, I believe there is religion freedom nowadays. You can choose what you believe, there is Christian church in each major city. As to Lhasa, this is even more true. PLA brings true liberty, give Tibet people the right to LIVE and EAT, give them modern technologies, even railroads! What American troops bring to Iraq? As to P580, the authors fail to list the record of Chinese occupying Taiwan Island before 1590. The fact is there is a record of Taiwan Island in Chinese history for more than 1700 years and the first group of people landing the island is from southern China. Far more earlier than Portuguese sailors. The book fails to provide all the fact to readers. Readers are easily mislead. What you read in the book will definitely effect your point of view on historical events. I find it hard to believe the materials provided in the book anymore as I'm completely new to many of its topics thus more easily to be mislead. Just like most of you who don't know China after reading P579 will believe Tibet should be independent and after reading P580 would believe Taiwan should belong to Portuguese.

I have finished half of it. Besides the many typos, the book has several errors. For example:
1. The Chinese drawing was about Qing Ming Festival, not Spring Festival.
2. Independence War: the first shot was fired in Lexington, Massachusetts, not Lexington, Kentucky.

The author, who clearly is not an expert in history, should have this book proofread by an expert and publish an errata as soon as possible.