The World's Bloodiest History: Massacre, Genocide, and the Scars They Left on Civilization [Paperback]

Joseph Cummins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

In a somber survey leavened by sparse but inspiring accounts of heroism, author Joseph Cummins revisits some of the most dreadful and destructive acts of violence in history—from moments of sheer madness and merciless military offensives, such as that of the Spanish conquistadors in 1521 in what is now Mexico City, to clinically orchestrated campaigns of genocide, as took place in early twentieth-century Armenia, Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe, and 1970s Cambodia. Engaging, harrowing, and enlightening, his accounts convey the terror and trauma of these incidents while identifying the zealotry, prejudices, and animosities that fuelled them, and analyzing, in revealing fashion, their enduring and sometimes insidious influence on history.

Handsomely illustrated with more than 100 striking, sometimes shocking, archival images gathered from around the world, The World’s Bloodiest History combines compelling depictions of momentous events with fascinating character portraits and arresting eyewitness accounts to create an absorbing, multifaceted chronicle of a sobering, all-too-human legacy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

 

Our History Project Blog

It is hard to describe a book with this title or its subject matter as a great read, much less an enjoyable book. However that is what Joseph Cummins did. I am talking 5 stars, straight through the uprights, 3 points and nothin’ but net.

The World’s Bloodiest History was one of those books I could not put down….It is a book about racial and secular superiority. It is a book about greed and hate. It is a book about intolerance. It is a book about so many things, feelings, thoughts and actions. However, it is a book about hope, knowledge and courage to stand up to say this will not happen again…If you are like me, it just may be a book that never ends. Pick it up, borrow it, check it out, download it; however you can get it, this is a book that you will want to read—and never completely put down.

Book News Inc.

From the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572, to the Massacre at Srebrenica in 1995, this color-illustrated reference offers a serious yet accessible look at history's darkest episodes of genocide and violence, for general readers and students in high school and up. Political, religious, and cultural causes and consequences are considered for the killings, which have been selected due to their impact on world history and human societies. Narrative chapters incorporate eyewitness accounts and stories of heroism, and include dramatic details while avoiding sensationalism for its own sake. A brief introduction discusses common elements that massacres share, looks at the failure of international organizations to halt genocides, and points to the hope represented by recent UN doctrines. The book is illustrated with about 100 color and b&w historical and contemporary photos, maps, and illustrations. Some of the photos are shocking in their depiction of the realities of genocide.

 

World History Blog

"...a worthy read...This is an area that I wish many students learn about in hopes it may cut down on these events in the future."

Bookviews

“Even a casual reading of history reveals that the past 5,000 years of human ‘civilization’ have been filled with the most horrific cruelty and The World’s Bloodiest History by Joseph Cummins is testimony to that. Suffice it to say this is not light reading, but it does address questions such as why mobs become killing machines, the Nazis could craft a deliberate genocide, political ideologies become killing grounds, and all the worst aspects of human behavior, zealotry, prejudices, and animosities fuel the never-ending scars on civilization as it progresses from one event to another.”

 

Stevo’s Book Reviews on the Internet

In a somber survey leavened by sparse but inspiring accounts of heroism, author Joseph Cummins revisits some of the most dreadful and destructive acts of violence in history—from moments of sheer madness and merciless military offensives, such as that of the Spanish conquistadors in 1521 in what is now Mexico City, to clinically orchestrated campaigns of genocide, as took place in early twentieth-century Armenia, Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe, and 1970s Cambodia. Engaging, harrowing, and enlightening, his accounts convey the terror and trauma of these incidents while identifying the zealotry, prejudices, and animosities that fuelled them, and analyzing, in revealing fashion, their enduring and sometimes insidious influence on history. Handsomely illustrated with more than 100 striking, sometimes shocking, archival images gathered from around the world, The World’s Bloodiest History combines compelling depictions of momentous events with fascinating character portraits and arresting eyewitness accounts to create an absorbing, multifaceted chronicle of a sobering, all-too-human legacy.

About the Author

Joseph Cummins is the author of War Chronicles: From Chariots to Flintlocks, War Chronicles: From Flintlocks to Machine Guns, History’s Great Untold Stories, and Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots, and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Campaigns. He has also edited two anthologies for Lyon’s Press, Cannibals: Shocking True Stories of the Last Taboo on Land and at Sea and The Greatest Search and Rescue Stories Ever Told, and written a novel, The Snow Train. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Fair Winds Press (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592334024
• ISBN-13: 978-1592334025
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After working for ten years at the Book of the Month Club, where he was Creative Director of several clubs, including Book of the Month Club, Quality Paperback Book Club, and One Spirit Book Club, Joseph Cummins went freelance in 2001. Since then he has published twelve books, mainly works of popular history. His publications include a novel, The Snow Train (Akashic Books, 2001); History's Great Untold Stories (National Geographic, 2007); Turn Around and Run Like Hell (Murdoch Books, 2006); Great Rivals in History (Murdoch Books, 2007); Anything For A Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Campaigns (Quirk Books, 2008); Cast Away: Shipwrecked, Marooned or Cast Adrift on the High Seas (Murdoch Books, 2008); The War Chronicles, Volumes I & 2 (Fair Winds Press, 2008-9); First Encounters with Unknown People (Murdoch Books, 2009); and The World's Bloodiest History (Fair Winds Press, 2010).His forthcoming books include Eaten by A Giant Clam: Great Adventures in Natural Science (Murdoch Books, September 2010); and Why Some Wars Never End: The Longest Conflicts in History (Fair Winds Press, November 2010).
Joe's YA credits include President Obama and a New Birth of Freedom (Collins, 2009) and the History's Greatest Hits: Famous Events We Should Know More About (Murdoch Books, 2010). All told, his titles have sold over 150,000 copies in America, Australia, Canada and the UK.
Joe lives with his wife and daughter in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The World's Bloodiest History - 5 Stars all the way!, January 9, 2010

By 

Wesley C. Anderson (McDonough, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World's Bloodiest History: Massacre, Genocide, and the Scars They Left on Civilization (Paperback)

THE WORLDS BLOODIEST HISTORY: Massacre, Genocide and the scars they left on Civilization
By JOSEPH CUMMINS
Fairwinds Press, 319 pages

It is hard to describe a book with this title or its subject matter as a great read, much less an enjoyable book. However that is what Joseph Cummins did.....I am talking 5 stars, straight through the uprights, 3 points and nothin' but net.

Ok, let me explain from a Reviewer/Reader stand point. I receive a lot of books to review and sometimes I receive a book that is sound, has a good looking cover and it draws me in somehow. I read the first two chapters. If it holds my attention I keep going, if not it's to the center of the book I go for a middle chapter or two then two the last couple of chapters. By then I have gauged the quality and the intent, and have a solid foundation to judge (in my personal opinion) that its good, bad or average.

As an Historian and Researcher, I am looking for the complete story. I am looking for primary and secondary sources to back up that story(s). I am looking for names, dates, events and witnesses that can tell the story. And, though it is hard I am looking for the mind set, or both sides of the story, kind of the story behind the story if you will.

The World's Bloodiest History was one of those books I could not put down. I actually read it over and over and went on my own researching quest behind the stories after each chapter. Now, that is something that no other book in my history of reading has compelled me to do...None, Nada, Zip. Not after each chapter.

What does this book that I am raving about have in it? Why am I so engrossed within the pages? Well, as the title states it's the world's bloodiest history. It covers eighteen (18) events that truly impacted the world and thier countries for generations. It is a book about racial and secular superiority. It is a book about greed and hate. It is a book about intolerance. It is a book about so many things, feelings, thoughts and actions. However, it is a book about hope, knowledge and courage to stand up to say this will not happen again. We actually did our interview with Joseph Cummins a couple of months ago and it was aired on OHP in December. Guess what, I'm still reading it.

What I love about this book is that for each chapter, you may not know a thing about the events, lets take the "Colfax Massacre" for instance. This was one of the stories that I did not know. Written with in that chapter there are eighteen (18) pages that cover the event and tragedy. The unbelievable part is....when I finished those eighteen (18) pages, I actually knew the who, what, when, where, why and how of that story. Imagine, each chapter is like that. Yes, every one. From the Carthaginians in 146 BCE to the Massacre at Srebrenica, its there and you will have a grounded understanding of each event when your done.

If you are like me.... it just may be a book that never ends. Pick it up, borrow it, check it out, download it; however you can get it, this is a book that you will want to read...and never completely put down.

Craig Anderson
Our History Project

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History libraries will find this offers a sobering look at some of the most destructive acts of violence in history, February 21, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World's Bloodiest History: Massacre, Genocide, and the Scars They Left on Civilization (Paperback)

The World's Bloodiest History: Massacre, Genocide and the Scars They Left on Civilization offers a new book discussing mankind's most inhumane moments. History libraries will find this offers a sobering look at some of the most destructive acts of violence in history, pairing black and white photos with historical insights on how these events came to pass.