And Then...History [Paperback]

Stewart Ross (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A history of the world, with sections on famous people, important inventions, bizarre facts, and comparisons among different cultures.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-6--A fast-paced, quick-glance history of the world from 20,000 million years ago to the present. It is divided into seven chapters, each with an index, a table of contents, and a time line. Most pages are split into two columns of text broken up by cartoons. The slangy, flippant, and often irreverent tone is frequently inappropriate and often insensitive. It is also misleading. For example, Ross states that "The brightest bulbs of the Age of Enlightenment were composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...and philosopher Fran ois Voltaire." Even excusing the pun, more lame than most, and assuming that the statement had meaning, who could prove or disprove such an assertion? The "fertile crescent" is referred to as the "fertile boomerang." The name of the Hohokam people is said to mean "Ho-ho, You Can't Find Us." The sophomoric humor, unfunny and confusing, impedes any serious consideration of the facts presented, and dishonors the genuine curiosity that might have led readers to this book. Cliche ridden and reductionist, this title does no service to young readers.

Jean Pollock, King Country Library System, Seattle, WA

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Copper Beech (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761305084
• ISBN-13: 978-0761305088
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,410,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn About the World of Today and the Past Quickly, September 29, 2000

By 

Norman Madrid (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And Then...History (Paperback)

I love this book. Although it is rated for ages 9-12, I am a graduate of an Ivy League school and I find that it quickly refreshes as well as adds to my (already good) knowledge of world history.

Its point of view is commendable: the author writes as if he were an extra-terrestrial just visiting Planet Earth, thus can write about all peoples--American, Europeans, Hispanics, Polynesians, Africans, Japanese, Chinese, Asian Tigers--in a neutral but interested and caring way, for his people out there in the stars to read.

He touts the amazing achievements of several peoples but also pokes fun at their faults and confusions in a breezy but not overblown style. He tells us of nationalism and the rise and fall of individual empires and nations including their feats, truths and dreams as well as their lies, illusions, and exaggerations. Even Science is shown as a rising God that blesses us with favors but also punishes us with headaches.

The book is illustrated in full color, comic-book style, and peppered with delightful stories in virtually every page. It is a good first book or refresher for anyone wishing to start, or again get going at, delving deeper into world history, from the Big Bang several billion years ago to the present. The readers ends up both appreciative and skeptical of humanity, in short with the truth.

I noticed a couple of typos at the end of the book, but they are minor blemishes in a truly excellent book of about 120 pages.