Customer Reviews

World History (Pocket Guides)

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When they call this pocket guide they aren't lying. And it's not trenchcoat pocket; it's tight denin pants pocket!

Before you buy this book, please watch its size in the description. Usually that wouldn't be detrimental - it probably would be an advantage! But DK books profit a lot by the fabulous drawings, art work and photographs that can show something instead of telling it. With drawings one inch high you get the feeling of wanting to smack someone. Specially because some are quite good; it even has drawings from Angus McBride, Peter Dennis, Richard Hook, among many others!

Divided by large chronological periods, it starts with a comparative table with the most important events, inventions, art and architecture achievements of the period, followed by one or two page chapters with some highlights of the subject being dealt with.

In such a work you can't get in details, and if you just highlight some events you can lead to terribly wrong conclusions and omissions. For example, by the WW II battles mentioned it almost seems that it was a walk in the park (all allied victories); also the wars of French Religion looks like a Huguenot beat up. The extremely important ancient jewish civilization isn't even mentioned although they are a reference for western moral values among many other cultural and political achievements (but the author remembered and had space for the Hopewell civilization...meaning no disrespect to that tribe, it's like wanting a section on this book about my Lusitanian "ancestors"; even the Romans had only 2 pages)!

This edition ends its history in 1996. I believe that a new updated edition (one inch bigger and revising many contents) would greatly improve this work. But as it is it can be useful as a short and quick reference guide and to give someone without world history knowledge a "crash course" that might shed some light. But fast medicines might bring side effects.

This book gives a convenient "overview" of history. It doesn't go into any details, really, but it's value stems from being a portable and somewhat complete timeline of history. It helps to place things in context if you have trouble remembering what happened when. For the price, it can't be beat.