World History for Dummies [Paperback]

Peter Haugen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764552422 | ISBN-13: 978-0764552427 | Publication Date: March 15, 2001 | Edition: 1

If history scares you or bores you silly, that's probably because a teacher once required you to memorize a bunch of dates – when things like the Magna Carta and the Versailles Treaty were signed, for example. Admittedly, dates are a big part of history, but only because historical events happened in a certain order. If Columbus hadn't sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety-two, the Mayflower Pilgrims might not have looked west for a place to practice their Puritan religion almost 130 years later. The eventual outcome? No day-after-Thanksgiving mob scenes at the mall.

So you may be asking, "How can a 330-page book cover the complete history of the world?" The short answer is that it can't. To cover thousands of years in one book would be impossible. What is possible is a skimming of the surface of world history, which is what you'll find in World History For Dummies. This book provides a fun and friendly overview of the history of the world, providing glimpses into the major players and events that have made the world what it is today.

Because the history of the world is such a grand topic, a comprehensive list of what you'll find in World History For Dummies would be almost as long as the book itself. So here are a few highlights to pique your interest:

• Discover how to look at history from the historian's perspective
• Becoming civilized: The invention of writing and art
• Scientific developments that revolutionized the world
• Building empires: From Rome to Russia
• War and peace (no, not the Tolstoy novel)
• The development of the world's religions
• Overviews of the essential historical documents that you must know – from the Bible to the Bill of Rights

Anyone with at least a passing interest in history can find value in World History For Dummies – whether you're a student or a teacher in need of a broad historical overview, a history buff looking for new fascinating areas of interest, or if you just want to be the best darned Trivial Pursuit player in your neighborhood!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"…a friendly reference. You can bone up on all those facts you missed in history class and have a good time in the bargain." (Manx Independent, Friday 27th April)

About the Author

Peter Haugen (Madison, Wisconsin) is an accomplished university lecturer, journalist, and author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: IDG Books; 1 edition (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552422
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552427
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #734,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Southern California (working class L.A. County), grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, near Fresno. Graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. Served in U.S. Army. Graduate of U.S. Department of Defense Information School, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. Worked as reporter, news editor, feature writer, and critic for several newspapers, notably the St. Petersburg Times and the Sacramento Bee. Worked in book publishing and as freelance magazine writer. Author of books including "Was Napoleon Poisoned?" Happily married with two teen sons. Reside in Madison, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good except for a few annoyances..., August 21, 2001

By 

Ken (PORT ANGELES, WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: World History for Dummies (Paperback)

I got this book because I wanted to refresh my knowledge of world history and I figured I could actually make it all the way through (as opposed to the huge volumes out there by other authors). I wasn't disappointed. It was easy and entertaining reading with a good format. The organization of the book is very helpful to enable people to put together the histories of various civilizations. I now have a clear picture of how the Inca, Mayan, and Aztec fit into the scope of world history (and numerous other cultures and historical figures are now clear in my mind).

That said, there were a few annoyances. The first and biggest, was the FREQUENT use of parenthetical statements referring the reader to other sections of the book for more information about a particular subject. Not only did these interrupt the flow of thought, but they were generally useless (vaguely referring the reader to another chapter, but not telling where within the chapter the subject is covered). Either eliminating these completely or placing them in the margin would have greatly improved the readability of the book.

The second annoyance was that there were some obvious errors in the information given. The accepted age of the earth, as mentioned by another reviewer, was one. He repeated the false urban legend that the nursery rhyme "Ring Around the Rosie" came from the black plague. There were a few other errors I detected as well. This made me question the level of research the author did and raised doubts about the accuracy of other sections (though in general I think it was pretty accurate).

Overall, I'd recommend this for anyone that wants a readable introduction into world history. It would be helpful for either a student currently studying it or an adult wanting a refresher course.

74 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get rid of the parenthetical comments!, December 26, 2001

By 

Jad (TJ) Duwaik - See all my reviews

This review is from: World History for Dummies (Paperback)

I read the review about the annoying parenthetical comments, but thought Winters was just over-reacting. Having obtained and read the book myself, I must thoroughly apologize to Winters.

The parenthetical comments are *EXTREMELY* annoying!

Haugen, the author, thinks he's making the text more modular (he encourages the reader to skip around), but he just makes reading the book feel like you're watching a tv show with a commercial break everytime the story gets interesting. (Your book has an index, Haugen. Let the reader use it.)

That said, this is a pretty good review of world history, quickly summarizing thousands and thousands of years into a short, readable volume. It also has a good survey of philosophy, religion, and the instruments of war. For an introduction to world history, the content is 150% there. (I just wish there weren't so many useless parenthetical references.)

Oh, one other (big) criticism: there are only two maps in the entire book and neither were very helpful, so I recommend "Atlas of World History" by John Haywood as an awesome companion piece.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too little on too much, May 20, 2004

By 

Edwin B. Wollet (El Paso, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: World History for Dummies (Paperback)

World History for Dummies is valuable if you have already read more extensive literature on world history. In that respect, I would recommend it as a refresher, a tool to jar your memory of more indepth texts.

Major advancements in western history, including ancient societies such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and of course Greece and Rome are covered. Other civilizations are represented as well, though not in as much detail as western civs. Examples include China, Japan, Aztecs, and Incas.

I would recommend that an historical text on geography accompany this book as maps are scarce and the ones available aren't very comprehensive. This is a particular peeve since it is often nice to have a visual perspective of what is being studied.

All in all, a good "reference for the rest of us", but not a text I would recommend for the first-time reader.