A Little History of the World [Hardcover]

E. H. Gombrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2005

In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, the 26-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited by a publishing acquaintance to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. Amazingly, he completed the task in an intense six weeks, and Eine kurze Weltgeschichte für junge Leser was published in Vienna to immediate success, and is now available in seventeen languages across the world.

Toward the end of his long life, Gombrich embarked upon a revision and, at last, an English translation. A Little History of the World presents his lively and involving history to English-language readers for the first time. Superbly designed and freshly illustrated, this is a book to be savored and collected.

In forty concise chapters, Gombrich tells the story of man from the stone age to the atomic bomb. In between emerges a colorful picture of wars and conquests, grand works of art, and the spread and limitations of science. This is a text dominated not by dates and facts, but by the sweep of mankind’s experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity’s achievements and an acute witness to its frailties.

The product of a generous and humane sensibility, this timeless account makes intelligible the full span of human history.

(20081001)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This is an unusual work for Yale: a children's history originally published 70 years ago. But it is a work one can quickly come to love. Gombrich, later known as an art historian, wrote this primer in 1935, when he was a young man in Vienna (it was soon banned by the Nazis as too "pacifist"). Rewritten (and updated) in English mainly by Gombrich himself (who died in 2001, age 92, while working on it), the book is still aimed at children, as the language makes clear: "Then, slowly the clouds parted to reveal the starry night of the Middle Ages." But while he addresses his readers directly at times, Gombrich never talks down to them. Using vivid imagery, storytelling and sly humor, he brings history to life in a way that adults as well as children can appreciate.The book displays a breadth of knowledge, as Gombrich begins with prehistoric man and ends with the close of WWII. In the final, newly added chapter, Gombrich's tone sadly darkens as he relates the rise of Hitler and his own escape from the Holocaust—children, he writes, "must learn from history how easy it is for human beings to be transformed into inhuman beings"—and ends on a note of cautious optimism about humanity's future. (Oct. 13)
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From Booklist

This is the first English translation of a book written in 1935 in German and translated into 18 languages. Thirty years later, a second German edition was published with a new final chapter. In 40 brief chapters, Gombrich relates the history of humankind from the Stone Age through World War II. In between are historic accounts of such topics as cave people and their inventions (including speech), ancient life along the Nile and in Mesopotamia and Greece, the growth of religion, the Dark Ages, the age of chivalry, the New World, and the Thirty Years' War. Much of this history is told through concise sketches of such figures as Confucius, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Jesus Christ, Charlemagne, Leonardo da Vinci, Napoleon, and Columbus. Gombrich was asked to write a history geared to younger readers, so the book is filled with innumerable dates and facts, yet it is one to be read by adults. With 41 black-and-white woodcut illustrations and nine maps, it is a timeless and engaging narrative of the human race. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; Rep Tra edition (October 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300108834
• ISBN-13: 978-0300108835
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > History

More About the Author

Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich, OM, CBE (30 March 1909 - 3 November 2001) was an Austrian-born art historian who spent most of his working life in the United Kingdom. He is the author of many works of art criticism and art history. (Photograph: Pino Guidolotti)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

153 of 155 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great history for children of all ages, October 17, 2005

By 

Steven Chapra (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Little History of the World (Hardcover)

Most people know Gombrich through his magnificent "The Story of Art," which is simply the best overview of art ever written. Although "A Little History of the World" is on a much smaller scale, it is just as beautifully crafted. He does a wonderful job of providing a quick and insightful overview of (primarily) Western history. In particular, he transforms history into a compelling story that pulls you along from chapter to chapter. I can think of no better gift to give a young person in this day of sound bites and history-lite. And even though it was written for young people, it provides us older folks with a healthy and enjoyable refresher on where we and our society have come from. I've read several comprehensive world histories (in particular J.M. Roberts classic History of the World) and Gombrich's little book serves as a wonderful complement to such larger and more comprehensive works.

71 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book for Homeschoolers, November 3, 2005

By 

Salome - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Little History of the World (Hardcover)

There isn't much I can add much to the other reviews, but I just wanted to say that A Little History of the World is the best overview of world history for children that I've ran across. I highly recommend it to all the homeschoolers out there, and especially those who have children with attention disorders. My daughter does and this book completely held her attention and even had her asking questions. I can't praise this book highly enough.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars easy to read STORY of history, October 29, 2005

By 

Ken - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Little History of the World (Hardcover)

this relates history as if an older relative were sitting down and telling a child a story. full of mysteries, adventures and surprises...beautifully written...