Customer Reviews

Everyday Life Through the Ages (Reader's Digest)

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

 

 

A great overview of daily life in many cultures and countries from 100,000 BC to the present day. This book is an emminently suitable reference for libraries and a godsend for the writer who needs just one quick fact or the ineffable flavor of a past time. Highly recommended!

One of fine examples how much the good images and ilustrations from historical litterature add to the value of the book. While I was reading the chapters about empires, cities, revolutions and adventures, I had the feeling of authenticity of the experience. It took an effort to leave the book every night. Such a pleasure !

This excellent compendium starts with pre-historic hunter-gatherers and pastoralists and then progresses to the big three ancient civilizations of the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Harrapans and then moves on to the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Greeks, Persians, and Hittites. What you will marvel at in this book is how people lived, worshipped, fought, and even what sort of career choices people could make! To be or not to be a scribe or a soldier in ancient Egypt. We also get insights into Eurasian hordes such as the Scythians, Huns, Vandals, Mongols, and other tribes from the steppes. There are also great sections on the black plague which ravaged Europe and the life of the Samurai in ancient Japan. This book spans the globe as it looks in on how people survived in difficult times. Things we take for granted today such as abundant food, health care, and transportation were sometimes luxuries enjoyed only by elites. This book is a real eye-opener and well worth checking out.

This is a very good, very extensive overview of life through History in a variety of places. The focus isn't on Western society, and there are many passages about China, India, Oceania... It's not intended to be a complete research guide, but as a primer to give you an idea of how societies lived, this is invaluable.
(and the illustrations are very good, too)