Millennium; A History of the Last Thousand Years (Paperback)

by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto (Author) "Like the palace cats', the eyes of the Lady Murasaki Shikibu were accustomed to the dark..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Second World War, Hong Kong (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this freewheeling, selective, iconoclastic history of the world from the 10th century to the present, Fernandez-Armesto concludes that the West's domination of global affairs was far from inevitable and is likely to abate as economic power and initiatives in technology and ideas shift decisively to Pacific rim nations. Editor of The Times Guide to the Peoples of Europe, the author first chronicles the slow, fitful consolidation of Islamic civilization, imperial China, medieval Europe and the Byzantine empire. The great age of European expansion unfolds here in a world full of aggressive competitors. In place of the traditional picture of a largely passive non-European world in arrested development, Fernandez-Armesto portrays the Turkish, Russian and Mongol empires, the Aztec and Inca civilizations, the empires of Morocco, Mali and Ethiopia as having their places on the world stage. Among his more provocative gestures are his portrayals of Washington and Jefferson as provincial English gentlemen, his downplaying of the Renaissance's intellectual impact and his vision of California's future as "an Asiatic land, bound to the orient by transpacific links." Even so, this vivid tapestry, generously illustrated, is continually engaging and challenging. History Book Club main selection; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Surveying the last 1000 years of human history, Fernandez-Armesto (Columbus, LJ 10/15/91) deals with Islamic countries, China, Africa, and South America, as well as Western civilization and the recent rise of various Pacific nations. Writing in an authoritative yet not dry or academic style, he recounts the rise and decline of major civilizations. His use of the revealing historical detail, e.g., the rise of the Boy Scouts viewed toward understanding British thought of the period, enlivens the tome and adds to the reader's depth of understanding. The author is largely successful in presenting the last millennium in terms of the ebb and flow of power among different cultures. His unusual historical perspectives?his concentration on non-Western cultures and examination of the various ways in which different cultures "saw" themselves?makes this volume desirable reading for scholars and informed lay readers. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.
-?Norman Malwitz, Queens Borough P.L., New York
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 816 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (October 10, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684825368
• ISBN-13: 978-0684825366
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,285 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dazzling!, May 17, 2000

By	Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The last few years have seen a flood of millennium-related books, ranging from the prophets of Y2K doom (or astronomical doom) to those of a new Eden. Admidst the more numerous books of a hysterical nature there have been a few more serious books that have attempted to put the events and changes of the last millenium in historical perspective, and to try and show how today's world evolved from its past.

I am an amateur reader of history, and the one conceptual difficulty I always have in reading history is seeing how events in different parts of the globe relate to one another in time. This is one area where "Millenium" excels. The author's command of history, and his abilty to smoothly move the narration through place and time creates, for the reader, a unified picture of the changes of a thousand years. No small trick.

As Fernandez-Armesto says in his preface, his aim is to "see the millennium from an imaginary distence...with unifying themes" and "to savor the differences from place to place and from time to time..." And so he does, with impressive skill. The resultant book is both scholarly and fascinating; on nearly every page you can find some previously unknown gem of art or history or technology.

You may not agree with the author's pronouncements for the future (as found in the epilogue) or his moral positions regarding present-day Western democracies, or even his economic analyses, but you cannot help but be impressed by his mastery of history, and you may find yourself swayed by the historical evidence he provides. A gem of a book, not to be missed.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Controversial, intriguing - a masterpiece, October 31, 2003

By	Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto is a national treasure of the British isles. He is one historian-thinker who emerges as non-partisan and straight-forward. While I thoroughly enjoy the works of Paul Johnson and have praised Daniel Boorstin to the skies, there is something magisterial about the author's works. The level of scholarship combines with his always intriguing conclusions and suppositions. What I like best about this trio is their apparent affinity for describing long arches of history which is not an easy task.

Throughout the book the author asks us to project ourselves 10,000 years in the future and imagine what a galactic museum would display as a representation of the past millenium. He eschews such names as "Industrial Revolution" or "Protestant Reformation" or "Dark Ages" because these are not truly (to him) historical events but the name given to a series of happenings.

He makes the argument that influences from one civilization to another tend to ebb and flow and it is only in hindsight that one can see the writing on the wall. He has high praise for the Chinese Empire, it's culture and traditions. He demonstrates (as does Boorstin in THE DISCOVERERS) that the emergence of Western Europe as a dominating force was something totally unforseen, particularly considering the dominance of China and the Muslim world. Although it conquered the globe, to Fernandez this was only a temporary blot in the (apparent) onward march of the Pacific Rim. What is amazing (and controversial) is his assertion that despite the overwhelming pervasiveness of the United States in almost every measurable category, the pendelum has begun to swing back. He demonstrates his thesis not through battles and politics but through the everyday lives of the people since these reflect the true cultural inputs.

The writing is beautiful - even poetic - and the illustrations that accompany the text are an added bonus. This book is a labor of love. I am not at all certain I agree with all of the author's assumptions but then what kind of historian would he be if I did?

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating & eclectic overview of 1000 years world history, October 7, 1998

By	Willem Noe "scorpio-1" (Berlin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Millennium (Hardcover)

This book was one of first books i read on history, and it got me hooked on the subject. I much appreciated the non-eurocentric approach, the broad swoop with many lively and telling details. Topics such as history of food, Chinese manufacturing techniques and ancient African empires i thought were all striking and original. As an economist, i found the discussion of economic development of 'modern' economies much less convincing. Overall, a very good, well-written, and rewarding study.