Customer Reviews

The 20th Century: An Illustrated History Of Our Lives And Times

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I recently checked out from the library the 1995 version of this book, entitled "Our Times: The Illustrated History of the 20th Century." It is well-written, superbly organized, and intellectually seductive. Anyone interested in knowing more about history of the 20th century will find between these covers some of the most telling, vivid, interesting, and glorious details about the people and events and "causes and effects" in 20th century history that heretofore has existed in our heads only at the "label level." (For example, in 1918, when the German ace fighter pilot "Red Baron"--Baron Manfred von Richthofen--was shot down, credited with 80 Allied "kills," the Allies buried him with full military honors.)

"Extended quotations" from various historical figures during the 20th century, laid out on two-column full sized eight and a half by eleven inch sized pages throughout the book, and richly illustrated, thoughtfully offer "voices" from the past. (For example, within the larger excerpt of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s August 28, 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., we find that he said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.")

This book does an excellent job of cross-referencing topics, both to the past and future events, enabling us to see history as an unfolding process, not a series of unexplained, random, and isolated events. If you enjoy history, you will enjoy thumbing through this book--time after time. A really enthusiastic thumbs up to the creators of this book.

I want my own copy for Christmas 2000, please Santa!

This is an excellent rendition of the previous century. It contains adequate description and full-color presentations
of key events which shaped the time period. Cubism is depicted,
as well as the Heisenberg Principle, Darwin/Mandel and
President Theodore Roosevelt. The work would be perfect for
any class project.