A Little History of the World (Little Histories)

M. Gombrich as he claims in the introduction lets you relax and enjoy history and tries to connect the dots so that you remember the events.
At some points descriptions seem to be biased and mixed with opinions.

This book explains things in nice, simple terms. Not presumptuous or condescending, like some scholarly books can be. Not only is it a good read for children, it helps remind everyone of how the human world has progressed from its earliest times. Its written in a way that keeps everything in perspective, which can be as important as anything when discussing history. Great read all around.

Well organized, this book touches on many crucial periods of our history, offers many little fun facts, and reviews previously covered material by making references to them in other chapters. Definitely a must read for up and coming history enthusiasts.

What a breath of freash air! A history book written from a different point of view. It reads as if you are being read a story by your grandfather. If we do not learn from history we are doomed to make the same mistakes. A must read.

This book is a must read for everyone. Very clear and written in easy to understand jargon. We purchased it to add into our homeschool curriculum for our 10 year old. The book is a college level book apparently, which I wasn't aware of when purchasing. But when read aloud, our 10 year old understands the points we are trying to convey and is able to ask questions. Opens up lots of dialogue and critical thinking avenues. Love it.

There are many amazing facts about the history of our world contained within this simply brilliant book and I am gifting a copy to each of my 5 children as something valuable to be cherished and passed on through the family and over the years. Not least is the fact that amazingly, first written in German in 1935 and translated around the world, the book wasn't published in English until 2005! The beauty of the 'story' is that it as captivating and easy to digest for adults and children alike.

Bought this for my teenage homeschooler and we loved it. Although geared towards younger minds, it is not condescending in any way. I would recommend the audio version for young and old alike especially if planning a trip in the car. The reader is a trained dramatist so the flow is understandable and intelligible. Fun learning!

Yes, this is charming, and very readable. It covers a vast expanse of history, in quite a comprehensible and comprehensive manner. But, here's my beef: there is no mention whatsoever of the Black Plague, which supposedly killed up to 1/3 of the population of Europe, in the time frame that he covers in detail. There is plenty about the Mongols pushing into Europe and the Crusades pushing into the Middle East--but no mention of a disease that wrought havoc over all those lands? I have a problem with that!

From my understanding every translation is tailored to it's most likely readers. The English translation, although certainly "Eurocentric", is a humane, empathetic, unapologetic, kind, and hopeful primer on "Western Civ". Reading this in my 30's was not only a refresher, but also drew me in in a way that most history books can't. I have already ordered a copy for my niece, and plan on finding more copies to spread around. This book should be a "blueprint" for how children's "text books" should be written. I would be very happy to find this in grade schools through highschools, not hidden in a library, but brought into the classrooms.

What exactly makes this book such a pleasure? This is not easy to answer. But I believe it is its minimalism, its boiling down issues to their essence and then choosing words carefully to convey, as well as possible, the author's sentiments. For example, talking about the grandiose plans of the 16th century Catholic Church:

"Old St. Peter's ... was too plain for their taste. They planned to build a new church, far bigger and more beautiful than any seen before. But it would cost a lot of money. Where this money came from mattered less to the popes of the day than getting hold of it and completing their wonderful church. And in their desire to please the pope, priests and monks collected money in a way which did not conform with the teachings of the Church. They made the faithful pay for the forgiveness of their sins, and called it 'selling indulgences'." (p. 180)

Gombrich follows this with a stirring chapter on Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. Simple yet beautiful.

The book is no encyclopedia--fewer than 300 very thin pages can hardly scrape the surface of the most basic introduction to history. Much detail is left out. Many areas of the world get short shrift. Today's notions of political correctness find no place--it was written in 1935 and Gombrich would not succumb to the PC approach in any event.

But every page is full of gems, of insight, of clever turns of phrase. It's perfect for parents to read out loud to their 8-12 year olds, or for their 11-18 year olds to read on their own. It's a perfect introduction to topics that can be studied in greater depth later on.

I would recommend this book to children and adults alike.
Wonderfully written, as light as one could make a book about the history of the world. The author knows just when to change up the context to keep the reader interested. I would highly recommend this book. Loved it!

Excellent overview of the history of western civilation for children. I have been reading one chapter per night with my 9 year old son and he is enthralled. Provides an excellent basis for discussion. Written for children but does not simplify. Focused on the basics but touches on other cultures too but with a western view. This book should be required reading in our schools.

I am really enjoying this book. I was recently teaching my son about Alexander the Great, and I remembered that I had this little gem on my shelf. I have only read a few chapters, but so far I am impressed! The writing is engaging for the adult and child. My children are 11-13 years old, and it suits them well without talking down to them, or over their heads. We have the illustrated edition, which is beautiful. We enjoy the pictures of paintings, artifacts, sculpture, and maps. I find that there is quite a glare on the shiny pages, so I have to find better lighting for reading this version.

Even without the illustrations this book is worth reading alone or to children. The illustrations add important depth to the narrative, some of them being rare or borrowed from private collections. Gombrich, of course, was first and foremost an art historian. I suppose anyone might take issue with what Gombrich included or what he left out, and there is no question that this is a "western-centered" history. So be it. Accepting that, my only criticism is that he makes no mention at all of the Black Death in the 14th cent. Well, nobody's perfect, but this book is close enough. Read it (and look at the pictures!).

This book provides a concise description of the world events till First World War. Very easy to read as it feels like reading a story. Could have added some more details from the non-European countries as a lot was also happening elsewhere.

We just finished reading. My children loved it. Extremely well written and informative.it provides a great narrative history of the world. He does a good job of covering the major developments and presenting them in a way that's informative and insightful.