Customer Reviews

Cartoon History of the Universe 1 Vol. 1-7 (Cartoon History of the Universe) (Pt.1)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Cartoon History presents a large amount of information at a rapid clip and keeps you laughing the whole time. Topics that may have seemed boring in history class (or weren't addressed at all) will suddenly spark the imagination and leave you wanting to read more. Thick history presented in the exact opposite of dry textbook style, all high school and college students should own a copy of this book! (Gonick doesn't pull punches about the graphic violence and bizarre sexuality of our history, so parents should exercise discretion about handing this book to younger students.) Gonick also shows intriguing perspectives that you won't get in the average, mainstream textbook market; and he especially gives women a voice they normally do not have. Hopping all over the globe for more than white man's western civ, this book and its sequel open up history in a startling and energized way. I highly recommend keeping a copy on your reference shelf.

Larry Gonick's book on statistics inspired me. I still don't understand probability but I was amused. His history text shows again that he is smarter then I am but I understoond the text and learned about the time it took to get here from the beginning of time and the maze of attorcities that leads from one powerful kingdom to another. Cartoons help make powerful messages more tolerable. I may buy all of his work.

Billions of years of history are combined in the first of these excellent books. Author Gonick takes us from the "Big Bang" to Alexander the Great with his cartoons and even manages to get a bit of detail in parts of it...(obviously this book is not comprehensive, nor is it intended to be)Gonick does not shy away from unpopular or unpleasant aspects either. His portrait of Moses is not particulary flattering and he is not afraid to poke fun at scientists and their various "theories" of how/why this or that happened. This book is written from a scientific viewpoint, so Creationism gets short shift here...(not mentioned at all in fact). An excellent bibilography is furnished at the end of the book for readers who want to delve farther into the historical periods covered here...very highly recommended

Teachers of ancient history will find that this book breathes life and personality into a time period that is often treated very dryly by textbooks. Whereas history textbooks are often "lists in paragraph form," this is no such thing; it tells stories that show what the events and changes in the ancient world meant to real people. Moreover, whereas textbooks often cover centuries and even millenia in a sentence, the Cartoon History focuses in on pivotal individuals and dynamics that are often left by the wayside in the attempt to cover "everything," which, of course, is impossible. I used excerpts from this book in 9th grade Western Civilization I at St. Anselm's Abbey School in DC; I believe it was students' favorite part of the course--it's too bad there aren't volumes for later periods of history.

Some of the big, thick and juicy history books can make the average reader's eyes bulge with terror. "The History of the Whole World!" or "World History Second by Second!" will probably disencourage the general interested reader by the threat of massive papercuts alone.

There's something about the word "cartoon" that adds appeal to any subject. "The History of the Universe!" by itself may make knees tremble, but "The CARTOON History of the Universe!" now my hands are a-grabbin' at the bookshelf. And grab we should; we should grope, fondle, and possess this great volume that will likely turn any historaphobe into a walking timeline.

History? Entertaining? NEVER! Yes, awake from your dogmatic slumbers, the dream can be realized. This book is funny, genuinely funny. And it's not a parody along the lines of "1066 and All That" - it's real history presented in an amazingly underrated educational genre.

The first book is chopped up into seven volumes which can be read more or less like serial comic books. Dramatic teasers provide segueways between the volumes, and keep the story flowing. Like it's subtitle says: "From the Big Bang to Alexander the Great", and since subtitles never lie, that's what you get.

THE BIG BANG starts off this book, and the book follows an evolutionary line - at one point outright stating "Darwin was right" (pg. 52). So, be warned all of you whose cars are adorned with fishes labeled "Truth" eating smaller fishes labeled "Darwin" - this tome may not be for you.

There is a long discussion about the evolution of sex, some "naughty" cartoons - which are usually hilarious - which leads into the evolution of species from the cambrian to the quaternary period. Humanity enters the scene, and the evolution of humans is covered through homo habilis to the "Cro-Magnon Conquest of the World". From then on some of the major early peoples and their societies are covered: Sumeria, the Semites, the Egyptians, the Acheans, the Hittites, the Assyrians, the peoples of the Old Testament, the Philistines, the Acheans, the Spartans, the Athenians... I'm sure I left a lot out, but you get the idea.

There is a great chapter on the war between Persia and Greece, including the events that lead up to it. The final chapter of the book is aptly titled "All About Athens" and covers such historical stars as Pericles, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc. The book ends, as the aforementioned subtitle promises, with Alexander the Great's entry into India. Volume 7's teaser suggests that book II will linger in India for a bit.

The book also includes great footnotes, great drawings (a sidenote: why does the style of the artwork change so drastically in Volume 7?), a great bibliography with short reviews of works Gonick used in researching this cartoon cathedral, and a stubborn refusal to consider anything out of the scope of inquiry. Gonick brings up historical issues that would never be taught in schools (I leave the reader to discover these). Even the issues surrounding the status of women and the rich and the poor are put in for good measure.

I can't imagine a better way to be introduced to history, especially for the curious adult, since to say that the book is NOT G-Rated would be an egregious understatement (since the book contains many adult themes, graphic cartoon violence, and descriptions of many disturbing things that make up human history, it's hard to say if the book is for kids or not, notwithstanding the "cartoon" in the title - I guess this is best left as a personal decision). Still, even those knowledgable in history will enjoy it, because, dang it, it's a comic book after all! Of course, and this is obvious, hopefully this book will serve as a springboard for an interest in history. By itself it's a great outline filled with general knowledge, but supplemented with more reading it becomes a road to unfathomable historical knowledge with which can come a better understanding of our place in the universe.

The first and best volume in Mr. Gonick's history series (just when IS the fourth book coming out???) truly does present more practical information about the history of our planet and the rise of the human species, than any history class I was ever in. And whatsmore, the author has made it fun to learn all this. I understand this book was edited by the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and what a gem she found to give us! Not only would I enthusiastically recommend this and all works in Larry Gonick's series to historian or casual reader alike, I would go so far as to say these are all masterpieces of erudition and intelligent presentation.

This volume of world history in comic book form is priceless! The artwork is not the greatest, but it is certainly competent and accomplishes its job. But what makes this book worthwhile is its alternative take on history. Instead of focusing on stories about famous conquerors (although they are not ignored), it is about what history must have been like for the average person, all with a rather biting, cynical sense of humour. For example, it shows WHY Socrates was hated so much (because, like such 1960s gurus as Timothy Leary he helped turn young people into rebellious thinkers who questioned the sacredly held opinions of their parents, whether or not Socrates did so intentionally). Gonick turns historic figures into living, breathing people instead of mere acts or ideas.

The Cartoon History doesn't quite reach the level of social criticism of A People's History of the United States, nor will it tear down your current understanding of historic events, but it still manages to be very iconoclastic merely by pointing out the silliness of humans throughout history (illustrating how little we've changed!) and through its more 'common person's' perspective.

Want to read about history without reading about history? Buy this book! Not only does is serve up science in a way to keep you awake but it slices up history into easy to swallow portions too. If you find chapters or subjects that pique your interest beyond that provided by the witty cartoon panels, the book has the most extensive bibliography (with reviews!) you could ask for. I bought my copy many years ago and it drove me to reread all those Greek Classics that I slept through while I was in school! It is apparent that portions of the Ancient Greece section was drawn earlier when Mr. Gonick was developing his style. His wit is trenchant in all the chapters in a way to make the reader think. Summary: I wish I had this book when I was in school...

I bought this book for my 6th grade classroom and ended up reading it myself. It's a favorite with the students though there is a bit of nudity that I had to censor with a black marker.

I'm currently taking a World Studies course and this book is a great complement! Everytime we finish a unit in school, I go back and read that section of the book. This book acts as a great review and it really reinforces some key points. The comics are also just hilarious to read. I'd definately reccomend A Cartoon History of the Universe for any students taking history courses that they mind find a bit dull. This book could really give you a new perspective.