Customer Reviews

The Cartoon History of the Modern World, Part 2: From the Bastille to Baghdad

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first read Gonick's original volume of this series - The Cartoon History of the Universe Volume 1 - back in the early 90's as a teenager. Since then I have kept up with each of the new volumes, so it was with both great excitement and a little sadness that I finally cracked open this final volume.

This volume does not disappoint. Gonick keeps up the fast paced run through of history that we have come to expect in the books, covering from the 1700's all the way through 9/11 and today.

Finally getting up to a century that I know well - the one we were all born in - it was interesting reading his take on events that I actually knew in great detail. There were a few things that I was bummed were left out - though planes start appearing in panels, the beginnings of flight are not covered. While Sputnik is mentioned and ICBMs, the space race is not covered. However, knowing Gonick's work as well as I do, I know this wasn't due to any ignorance or forgetfulness on the author's part - he simply could not put everything in.

As I said before, fans can rejoice because this volume is no different than the others. It is more of the same wonderful history and cartoons fans have come to expect.

The only thing I found disappointing about this final volume in Gonick's classic Cartoon Histories was the fact that it he hadn't made it a couple hundred pages longer by being more detailed about certain periods - but that only emphasizes how much fun these books are to read.
Another brilliantly-written and drawn chronicle that you'll want to read again and again over time.

I've probably read Gonick's "Cartoon History" series at least a dozen times now. It's a brilliant refresher on the history of our world. It's straight forward, entertaining and informative. The ONLY complaint I could levy at Mr. Gonick's work is that the last few pages seemed rushed. I feel that his modern world series would have benefited from being delivered in 3 volumes rather than 2.

Thank you Mr. Gonick for this awesome series!

I am a big fan of Larry Gonick's cartoon history books. I own and have read all of them. Of course I am a trained historian, but you don't need to be to enjoy these books while learning a lot of history. In fact I would recommend these books to people who think that all history is boring. You might be surprised how entertaining our past can be! Gonick is a master at making anything funny, but the history in these books is accurate and well researched, so you are learning while having fun. That is the way all education should be. If only social studies classes in school were this good!

History made entertaining, a good gift for any intelligent 10 y.o. or bored adult. Secular, of course, so not on the Creationist buy list. Earlier volumes might be more educational, since they include non-Eurocentric items I didn't learn in school.

Excellent book, and the series is highly recommended as a text on world history.

The inaccuracies are minor - probably the worst is the statement that Russian rail gauge was narrower than standard European. In fact, it was wider. That doesn't detract from the main point that the two were incompatible, which had major effects in wartime.

This installment in the Cartoon History series brings us finally to the present day, and it is imbued with the same wit and graphical charm that made every other Cartoon History book (with the possible exception of the first one, whose latter half was more crudely drawn than the first) a pleasure to read.

As all Larry Gonick books, entertaining, humorous, very informative. Both my son (13) and I enjoyed and learned from it.

Larry Gonick's Cartoon History series is the best overview of history I've ever read, and since I majored in history, I've read a lot. The reason is that the combination of illustrations, humor, succinct descriptions of key events, and intelligent insights and perspectives combine to make events more memorable than any text, and most professors ever could. This volume is the last in the series, concluding with current events, and offers insights and perspectives that were new even to me.

Gonick illustrates events in a humorous fashion, making jokes, puns, and commentaries on the events his narration illuminates. Occasional footnotes provide greater depth in three or four panels than some books' entire chapters. He offers a global perspective on events, rather than focusing on American or Western events only. He also takes factors such as population, economics, and technology into account as well as politics and religion when examining the reasons behind events. Overall, casual readers will learn more, faster from his books than from any other source, and more serious history buffs will gain new insights into events no matter how much they've studied them from conventional sources.

Highly recommended. As full of facts, honest and irreverent as all his others. As a historian I'm satisfied that he's being very accurate and that the loads of humor will probably aid readers in learning/remembering.