History of the World - Hardcover

Somerset-Fry, Plantagenet

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1564582442 ISBN 13: 9781564582447

Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 1994

Synopsis

Taking a global view of history, a carefully arranged, heavily illustrated chronology opens each chapter with a world map and time chart that give readers a sense of what happened where at any given time.

About this title

Review:

The publication of this book in 1994 was a milestone in the field of publishing for children and young adults. Working with an international team of historians, the renowned nonfiction publisher Dorling Kindersley used their extensive image library to create a visual chronology of world history, laden with photographs of real artifacts, tools, and art from around the globe, as well as illustrations and photographs of the people who lived in each era.

Summarizing the entire history of civilization seems a daunting task, but the organizational work here is exemplary. Each chapter covers a historical period from several centuries in the earliest times to a 25-year span in recent times. Beginning with a world map, each chapter offers a time line and a double-page spread identifying the major events and developments within five geographic areas: Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. More specific discussions for these geographic areas follow, along with additional illustrations, maps, and small, specific time lines. Because of the organizational scheme using five world divisions, all areas of the world receive equal treatment. An additional 115-page reference section includes a glossary of terms and a comprehensive index. The Dorling Kindersley History of the World is a welcome addition to the family reference shelf for students from fourth grade through high school. (Ages 9 and older)

From Booklist:

The latest endeavor of Dorling Kindersley, the publisher who introduced the popular and much-copied Eyewitness series, is this beautifully illustrated history for young readers. This ambitious volume begins 570 million years ago and ends with the 1990s. It is divided into sections of varying increments and includes such major events as wars, political upheavals, and inventions. For example, the section "1000-1200: Monks and Invaders" begins with a world map noting important events during this 200-year period. A table lists important events on all five continents. An asterisk on the table notes that more detailed information on this event follows. A time line running across the bottom of each page is highlighted to show the time period being covered.

Dealing as it does with the entire history of the planet, it stands to reason that each era could not be dealt with at length. However, the stunning photography and art here is enough to pique readers' interest on a variety of topics and hopefully will inspire them to do more reading elsewhere. A final reference section includes a glossary and an index.

This beautifully planned book is an excellent tool for stirring interest in history. There is only one area that could be improved upon: there is no pronunciation key of any type. The format and visuals will attract a wide range of reading abilities (upper primary to middle grades), and children will have no idea how to pronounce such names as Cleisthenes or Menes. Phonetic spelling following the more difficult terms and names would have been helpful.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishing
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 1564582442
• ISBN 13: 9781564582447
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384