The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events [Paperback]

Bernard Grun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1991 | ISBN-10: 067174271X | ISBN-13: 978-0671742713 | Edition: 3 Revised

Vast and absorbing, spanning millennia of human history, "The Timetables of History," achieves a goal in the study of the past that is unmatched by any other reference volume -- it gives us a sweeping overview of the making of the contemporary world. This remarkable book maps out at a glance what was happening "simultaneously," from the dawn of history to the present day. Never before has progress been presented with such clarity or with a view that fully captures the essence and the excitement of civilization.

Completely updated, featuring:

* Recent breakthroughs in science and technology

* New achievements in the visual arts and music

* Milestones in religion, philosophy, and learning

* The rise and fall of nations and the emergence of historic figures

* Landmarks in the drama of daily life

Editorial Reviews

Review

Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. A fascinating and useful book for a great number of people. -- Review

About the Author

Now in its third edition, The Timetables of History is the English-language version of Werner Stein's classic Kulturfahrplan, which has sold millions of copies since it was published in 1946. Translated by Bernard Grun, it has been completely revised and rewritten for the English-speaking world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 3 Revised edition (December 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067174271X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671742713
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #590,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The way we should all have been taught History., June 22, 2000

By 

Irene Suver "Irene Suver" (SEATTLE, WA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events (Paperback)

If this book has a vice, it is simply you might forget what you came to find, as your eye catches some fascinating confluence of events hitherto missing from your understanding of the past. I have frequently beeen distracted for long periods wandering the endlessy intriguing pages of this indispensable reference.

Have a child who is bored by history, and asking why does it matter? Are you puzzled by a historical event that is often quoted as important but seems irrelevant to you? Are you a writer? Editor? Teacher? A reader who loves to understand the setting and times of a novel or novelist or other writer? This book is for all of you. Like any comprehensive work, there are omissions; gaps and small shortcomings. But if you only have three reference books, they should be a dictionary, a thesaurus and The Timetables of History.

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid historical timeline, November 3, 2003

By 

Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events (Paperback)

Although it takes a few minutes to orient oneself with the structure of this timeline reference book, the huge amount of information it contains is readily accessible. Beginning in the 5000 BC and going to contemporary times, the timeline contains a year by year (or age by age, for the earliest entries) list of major occurrences in history/politics, literature/theater, visual arts, music, science and technology, and "daily life." Obviously, not all years contain entries across the board, and several years have packed grids. As the years get closer to the present, huge lists of events can take an entire page for a single year. Although heavily biased toward European and North American culture, the entries are not exclusively western. While helpful in determining the events in a specific time frame, this volume is strictly a timeline without reference to specific trends and without analysis.

I highly recommend this book to anyone putting together a collection of easy-to-access reference books.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great reference but needs updated - again, April 21, 2002

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events (Paperback)

Timetables of History is an encyclopedic style text that organizes information on a year by year basis. Each item is organized into one of seven categories: 1) History and Politics, 2) Literature and Theatre, 3) Religion, Philosophy and Learning, 4) Visual Arts, 5) Music, 6) Science, Technology and Growth and 7) Daily Life. Starting from 5000 BC and continuing to 1991, each area is shown in a parallel fashion so that you know which items were occurring at the same time in history. For example, in the year 1838 in politics, Osceola, the Indian leader died and Queen Victoria was coronated, in Literature Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby were top sellers, in Visual Arts the London National Gallery was opened, in Science John Muir was born and in Daily Life the first traveling post office was opened.

If you have ever tried to fix an event in history in terms of what else was happening at the same time then this book is extremely useful. If you are into genealogy then it can help understand what was going on in the lives of your ancestors. If you are into science you can follow which scientists were contemporaries and what items were influencing them.

If you have any interest in history and want to get an overall picture of what was happening around the world at a particular time then this book can be a useful addition to your studies. A recommended resource for those who are interested in such things I value it for it's ability to let me know what was going on during the time of my ancestors for my genealogy hobby.