Outline of History (2 Volume Set) [Library Binding]

H. G. Wells (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 040303082X | ISBN-13: 978-0403030828 | Publication Date: February 4, 2008 | Edition: 3rd Rep

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1920. Excerpt: ... XXVII THE TWO WESTERN REPUBLICS1 § 1. The Beginnings of the Latins. § 2. A New Sort of State. § 3. The Carthaginian Republic of Rich Men. § 4. The First Punic War. § 5. Cato the Elder and the Spirit of Cato. § 6. The Second Punic War. § 7. The Third Punic War. § 8. How the Punic War Undermined Roman Liberty. § 9. Comparison of the Roman Republic with a Modern State. IT is now necessary to take up the history of the two great republics of the Western Mediterranean, Rome and Carthage, and to tell how Rome succeeded in maintaining for some centuries an empire even greater than that achieved by the conquests of Alexander. But this new empire was, as we shall try to make clear, a political structure differing very profoundly in its nature from any of the great Oriental empires that had preceded it. Great changes in the texture of human society and in the conditions of social interrelations had been going on for some centuries. The flexibility and transferability of money was becoming a power and, like all powers in inexpert hands, a danger in human affairs. It was altering the relations of rich men to the state and to their poorer fellow citizens. This new empire, the Roman empire, unlike all the preceding empires, was not the creation of a great conqueror. No Sargon, no Thothmes, no Nebuchadnezzar, no Cyrus nor Alexander nor Chandragupta, was its fountain head. It was made by a republic. It grew by a kind of necessity through new concentrating and unifying forces that were steadily gathering power in human affairs. 1 A very convenient handbook for this and the next two chapters is Matheson's Skeleton Outline of Roman History. But first it is necessary to give some idea of the state of affaire in Italy in the centuries immediately preceding th...

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 1400 pages
• Publisher: Native American Books Distributor; 3rd Rep edition (February 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 040303082X
• ISBN-13: 978-0403030828
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 3.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,950,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive outline indeed, February 16, 2000

By 

Nathan Albright (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outline Of History (1 Volume) (Hardcover)

Even though this book is only called the outline of history, I have found it to be the most comprehensive history book in my very large collection. Even though the book is as old as my grandparents, the information it contains is still valid today, and since I am a history buff, it occupies an honored place in my library at home. I do not agree with all of his conclusions, but his insight and honesty (I am glad he is not one of those who worships the past) are very refreshing. A must read for anyone who wants to find out about the history of the world.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Man who Saw the Past and the Future, July 12, 2001

By 

"britreid" (New York City, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Outline of History (Audio Cassette)

In a time of "political correctness" in everything including our history texts, it's not startling to find the most unbiased look at world history is in a text that was first published 80 years ago! H. G. Wells was a man well in advance of his time. Not afraid to contradict the jingoistic attitudes of contemporary European and American historians, he places equal importance upon the development of Asian and African civilizations in his text, making sure the reader realizes that many events were happening simultaneously around the world, as well as pointing out the follies of European colonizing policies. (At the same time, he doesn't hesitate to point out mistakes made by African and Asian governments in their dealings with Europeans and each other.) His history reads like a sweeping fictional saga as he shows how events all over the world tie together in a cause-and-effect scenario. His history is not just names and dates, but explanations as to WHY things happened as they did! (The 1940 edition is particularly fascinating, as the final chapter in it details his amazingly-accurate analysis of the then-present situation in Europe, the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the failure of the other European powers to stop him when they had the opportunities! Remember, Wells is the man who predicted mass bombings of cities, extensive use of tanks and submarines, and other aspects of warfare pooh-poohed by military "geniuses" of his time!) He's brutally honest in his assessments of events and the people who caused them. There's no glossing over or whitewashing of history of the type seen in today's histories. I can see why many educators don't want it in today's classrooms. Find it and read it--if you have the guts.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent read, April 7, 2003

By 

Mark Twain (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Outline of History (The Bestsellers of 1921) (Library Binding)

i was in prison when i read this book so i only got to read the second volume but it made me change my whole perspective on history. It is a very good book for anyone who wants to REALLY UNDERSTAND history because instead of just giving a plain account of it, it puts history in perspective, in more of an outline, hence the title. i think it lays it out better than any history book i read in my high school. it makes history look rational and not just like a bunch of random, unconnected events. I think it exposes a pattern and a natural sequence to the events that have shaped this world. After reading it, i kind of look at what's happening today and put it in a historical context. It takes a step back to view history as a whole instead of getting too close to look at the details and making you lose focus of the BIG PICTURE that makes history so very important.