History's Timeline: 40,000 Year Chronology of Civilization [Hardcover]

Jean Cooke (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Crescent Books: NY (February 11, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517340003
• ISBN-13: 978-0517340004
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great reference but dry reading, January 12, 2001

By 

"bill_farrell" (San Carlos, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History's Timeline: 40,000 Year Chronology of Civilization (Hardcover)

This reference is analogous to the Oxford English Dictionary. Its scope is extremely expansive (40,000 years!), it is useful for handy retrieval of unfamiliar or forgotten information, and it is laid out in a clear and logical progression. It also betrays a British bias, is not a particularly fun read, and falters in its inclusion of items less than fifty years old.

The presentation is organized chronologically with broad outlines for each continent. Brief explication is given for the more weighty events, and short summary paragraphs capture major movements such as the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and the Age of Discovery. Color photographs and maps skillfully flesh out the text.

Like many British writers, however, this trio has a tendency to confuse wars and succession of kings, usually English, with history. They focus, for example, on insignificant facts such as how Harold Godwinson came to power and whom he battled prior to his defeat by William the Conqueror. In contrast, the history of ideas (e.g., philosophy, science, technology, political theory, and law), with its indelible imprint on modern society, is spotty at best. British myopia is evident in the treatment of Napoleon, portraying him as a militaristic opportunist rather than a civilizing force who brought laws, codes, and a semblance of equality to a neo-feudal continent.

Late twentieth century history is principally reduced to news headlines. The abdication of the Duke of Windsor and the catastrophic loss of the Challeger get far more attention than the transformation of Eastern Europe and Asia or revolutionary developments in communications, information, transportation, and biology.

As a quick thumb-through reference, History's Timeline is unmatched. For a more novelesque read, albeit frequently apocryphal, try H.G. Wells' Outline of History.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Quick Reference, September 9, 2001

By 

C. Sellers "oncogenic" (belton, tx United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: History's Timeline: 40,000 Year Chronology of Civilization (Hardcover)

I actually read this straight through, like a novel, but it in no way approaches a novel nor a narrative history, but it is a very good quick reference for historical events and personages. Of interest, are at the beginning of the major divisions in the history are individual timelines of each of the peopled continents with significant events, with references to Gupta dynasties in India or Mali empire in Africa, which are sadly enough almost ignored in the interior. If you want a quick biography of historical personage, most likely it's in there, if you want a specific time and date for an event you can find it, but you if a view to extend beyond the myopic preoccupation with white europe, especially England, you maybe in for some trouble. This reference throws breadcrumbs of the events transpiring outside of Europe's grasp, but then never follows through. However, it is a good reference for the standard Euro-centric and traditional historical accounts.

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost everything you want to know is here!, November 17, 2011

By 

K. Stegall - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: History's Timeline: 40,000 Year Chronology of Civilization (Hardcover)

My husband and I have TWO copies of this book so we can each have one in our bedside drawer to refer to. If you are studying the Bible and want to know what else was going on in the world at the time, you can find both references in this book! Very handy to answer movie questions too. I think all high school history classes should have one.