From the earliest civilizations to the twenty-first century: a global journey through human history, published alongside a landmark BBC One television series.
A History of the World
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"As the book of the BBC films, it is televisual, yet done with journalistic panache." --The Times
"It is a wonderful book. The series is nothing special. But the book is and is startlingly different; here Marr's writing and his control of the material are remarkable. It should be required reading for all students of history, even more so for those who teach it in universities." --Spectator
"It is a wonderful book. The series is nothing special. But the book is and is startlingly different; here Marr's writing and his control of the material are remarkable. It should be required reading for all students of history, even more so for those who teach it in universities." --Spectator
Book Description
Our understanding of world history is changing, as new discoveries are made on all the continents and old prejudices are being challenged. In this truly global journey Andrew Marr revisits some of the traditional epic stories, from classical Greece and Rome to the rise of Napoleon, but surrounds them with less familiar material, from Peru to the Ukraine, China to the Caribbean. He looks at cultures that have failed and vanished, as well as the origins of today’s superpowers, and finds surprising echoes and parallels across vast distances and epochs. This is a book about the great change-makers of history and their times, people such as Cleopatra, Genghis Khan, Galileo and Mao, but it is also a book about us. For ‘the better we understand how rulers lose touch with reality, or why revolutions produce dictators more often than they produce happiness, or why some parts of the world are richer than others, the easier it is to understand our own times.’ Fresh, exciting and vividly readable, this is popular history at its very best.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Isis
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As Marr himself admits, no book, no matter whether it's titled A History of the World or not, can ever succeed in comprehensively covering the entirety of history. So, as he explains in his introduction, he has chosen to focus on "big man" history: well-known individuals who are often, though not always, rulers. This seems on the face of it a rather traditionalist approach to history, a throwback to decades past where historians only seemed to talk about kings and queens. That kind of history has fallen out of favour in the past 30 years, replaced by an interest in social history, gender history, world theory, and phenomenology; the heretofore "untold" stories. So why is Marr writing about powerful individuals? Marr explains that, like it or not, a small number of people throughout history had greater agency than others, the ability to act to change the circumstances around them. He sees these individuals as important because they drove the great changes of history, and although much of the human past is marked by consistency and continuation, it is the changes that have made the biggest difference in our social evolution.
Marr divides human history into defined eras and then selectively talks about a handful of key "change-makers" in each era. Naturally this type of history leaves out a lot, but the examples Marr chooses are, he feels, demonstrative of the most important changes of their era. By picking out key figures and identifying patterns that emerge in history, Marr is able to bring together the whole and explain the significance of the patterns he draws out. It's left to the reader to decide whether the conclusions Marr draws are insightful or nonsensical.
In my opinion, some of what Marr presents to us in this book is a little dubious. Read more ›
Marr divides human history into defined eras and then selectively talks about a handful of key "change-makers" in each era. Naturally this type of history leaves out a lot, but the examples Marr chooses are, he feels, demonstrative of the most important changes of their era. By picking out key figures and identifying patterns that emerge in history, Marr is able to bring together the whole and explain the significance of the patterns he draws out. It's left to the reader to decide whether the conclusions Marr draws are insightful or nonsensical.
In my opinion, some of what Marr presents to us in this book is a little dubious. Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By T. R. Allen
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved Andrew's history of Modern Britain, and so bought this book as well - very well written, kept my interest all the way through. I haven't seen the TV series, but just the book is enough. If you like history, or just want to get better acquainted with how we got where we are, then read this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By bettelank
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Accessible and engaging style and lots of information I hadn't been aware of before even though I have read around the subject a lot.
31 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By pat neale
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A vast subject set but the reader is quickly drawn into the unstoppable movement that, like history, unfolds as one turns the pages. Concludes with a salutary reflection on current years.
More wordy, more globally viewed and therefore more suitable to the web generation than the delightful Gombrich, a short history of the world which follows classical European historical development but which is good to dip into as light relief and necessary chronological background reminders as one surfs through this large wave of information by A Marr.
More wordy, more globally viewed and therefore more suitable to the web generation than the delightful Gombrich, a short history of the world which follows classical European historical development but which is good to dip into as light relief and necessary chronological background reminders as one surfs through this large wave of information by A Marr.
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Happyface
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Have very much enjoyed reading this intelligent book. A very useful supplement to the recent Sunday night BBC programme. It takes some doing to write a history of the world in approx 600ish pages so congratulations to Andrew Marr and all those who assisted him on this project. I am sure there are history buffs out there who might criticise the finished work but for me it has provided a valuable insight on how we, the human race, have reached the stage we are at now. A great fireside read for this winter if you like your history stuff.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very well written and polished volume, as one would expect from a professional journalist and BBC presenter. There are some conjectures presented as 'Great Truths'. For example; War has been instrumental in the development of civilisation, religion and technology, Farming is a really hard way to make a living, Recorded History covers very few generations and the merest hint of time. Like most BBC journalists Andrew Marr mistakenly believes in the myth of anthropogenic climate-change ~ luckily he doesn't bang on about it so much. Nevertheless, he correctly identifies climate change as one of the great drivers of mankind's progress. The conclusion at the end of the book; that an ever-growing population will not be able to enjoy the freedoms and standards of living we in the developed world have become accustomed to, may well be correct. I wouldn't like to bet on it either way. In places the text reads a little like some of the more sensible parts of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, but it's non-the-worse for that. This could well be a must read book, given that Mr Marr has recently suffered some ill health and this may be his final work.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book requires concentration to get into the massive project Andrew has set himself. Once into it however the comparative assessment of differing populations' developments is fascinating and informative. Perhaps not the book to give Aunt Susie for Christmas but certainly one for eager beavers of a younger age to get a grasp of how people evolved and why we are where we are today.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Hazel Allen
Format:Hardcover
Two years ago, I read 'a history of the world in 100 objects'. I felt a huge leap in my concept of human history. At school, I learnt English history, with a little bit of Scottish history thrown in (I am Scottish). That book helped me to understand how much more there is, and whetted my appetite to learn more. Andrew Marr's book I found expanded my horizons equally, especially its attention to what for me were "new" historic civilizations, and the concept of comparative developments around the world. The book is necessarily brief on all of the specific civilizations it touches on, but is both complete in itself and provides an excellent starting point for those who want to learn more about areas covered in the book. My primary school age children loved the BBC series.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Its a slow read
Andrew Marr tries to cover too much ground over too long a period and makes the booklong hard reading .Requires a good background knowledge to follow it. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Mr D R Stewart
3.0 out of 5 stars
Andrew Marr
I haven't read it yet or used it as a door stopper. Don't like the cover much - the author, Andrew Marr seems to be given more prominence than the title 'A History of the World'. Read more
Published 5 days ago by William M. Campbell
4.0 out of 5 stars
A heavy book but not a heavy read
Like "A History Of Modern Britain" (2007) by the same author, this large book (it is almost 600 pages) is based on a televsion series (it was broadcast in 2012) and, in both cases,... Read more
Published 12 days ago by R. Darlington
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well done Andrew
Well written and easy to read. Well done Andrew. I shall always refer to it as a good reference book.
Published 26 days ago by Antoine mattar
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Read
Finished reading this book yesterday, it was a wonderful book to read, spurned me on to learn more history. So I am going to reread the book and take notes this time. Read more
Published 1 month ago by MAT
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even I could understand it
I bought this book to give me information in a good read about the history of the world in a concise book and not a 20 volume yawn. It delivered in spades. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Geoff de Peri
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ignites lust for more knowledge on certain topics
I thought it will be too comprehensive and impossible task to put a whole world history in one book - or at least that it will not be possible to do it and stay interesting. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nikola
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very much a journalist's history
This is very much a journalist's history of the world. It is written in very readable prose, with a heavy concentration on particular leading figures. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. F. Cayley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkable. Married writes superbly
Extraordinary breadth,as the title suggests . The content covers such a range with equal weight being given to history of the East and West. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John P. Keating
2.0 out of 5 stars
BBC hype and myths perpetuated
I have not read the book but decided to ask it a few questions about things and eras I know about due to my age and background. The book failed on all accounts. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Shamaal
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