United States
£ GBP
E. H. Gombrich's Little History of the World, though written in 1935, has become one of the treasures of historical writing since its first publication in English in 2005. The Yale edition alone has now sold over half a million copies, and the book is available worldwide in almost thirty languages.
Gombrich was, of course, the best-known art historian of his time, and his text suggests illustrations on every page. This illustrated edition of the Little History brings together the pellucid humanity of his narrative with the images that may well have been in his mind's eye as he wrote the book. The two hundred illustrations – most of them in full colour – are not simple embellishments, though they are beautiful. They emerge from the text, enrich the author's intention, and deepen the pleasure of reading this remarkable work.
For this edition the text is reset in a spacious format, flowing around illustrations that range from paintings to line drawings, emblems, motifs, and symbols. A Little History of the World incorporates freshly drawn maps, a revised preface, and a new index.
Blending high-grade design, fine paper, and classic binding, this is both a sumptuous gift book and an enhanced edition of a timeless account of human history.
E. H. Gombrich was the author of the international classic The Story of Art. Winner of the Erasmus Prize, the Hegel Prize, the Wittgenstein Prize, and the Goethe Prize, he was admitted to Britain's highest honour, the Order of Merit, in 1988.
"Sumptuously illustrated [...] Perfect for reading to alert and curious children, but it's even better as a secret pleasure, read alone, with no children in sight."
– Philip Kennicott, Washington Post
"A masterpiece of nonfiction writing for children. It is a wry and charming book, perfectly suited to the capacities of a 10-year-old, but also remarkably free of condescension. An adult can read it with pleasure. And, indeed, with instruction."
– Scott McLemee, Newsday
"Imagine the full story of human habitation on our planet being told in such flowing prose that you want to read it out loud. If you can't imagine that, read A Little History of the World and experience it!"
– Patricia S. Schroeder, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers and Former U.S. Representative from Colorado
"Gombrich opens with the most magical definition of history I have ever read [...] Tolerance, reason and humanity [...] suffuse every page of the Little History."
– Amanda Vickery, Guardian Review
"A timeless and engaging narrative of the human race."
– Booklist
"In simple, vivid prose, Gombrich surveys the human past from pre-history to his own time [...] Lucky children will have this book read to them. Intelligent adults will read it for themselves and regain contact with the spirit of European humanism at its best."
– Anthony Grafton, Wall Street Journal
"A remarkable book, written in an amiable, conversational style, effortlessly explaining, without condescension, difficult matters like the achievements of Charlemagne, the monetary system of medieval Europe and the ideas of the Enlightenment [...] This resurrected history deserves reading for all its delights."
– Edward Rothstein, New York Times
"A brilliant piece of narrative, splendidly organised, told with an energy and confidence that are enormously attractive, and suffused with all the humanity and generosity of spirit that Gombrich's thousands of admirers came to cherish during his long and richly productive life. It's a wonderful surprise: irresistible, in fact."
– Philip Pullman
"His enthusiasm for his subject is irresistible [...] With Gombrich's Little History, at last available in English there will be many generations of future historians who will attribute to it their lifelong passion for history – and for truth."
– Lisa Jardine, The Times
"A masterpiece of nonfiction writing for children. It is a wry and charming book, perfectly suited to the capacities of a 10-year-old, but also remarkably free of condescension. An adult can read it with pleasure. And, indeed, with instruction."
– Scott McLemee, Newsday
"I am going to buy ten copies of this book and give it to my ten favourite children [...] this is a book which teaches what it is to be civilised by its very tone, which is one of gentleness, curiosity and erudition."
– A.N. Wilson, Times Literary Supplement
" [...] a marvellous antidote to history without chronology: the whole experience of human history, from prehistory to the Second World War, compressed into a flowing narrative [...] [Gombrich] excels in creating a sense of the continuities of history – the ways in which human nature has not budged over the millenium, and the smallness of the differences between people. A delight."
– Robert Hanks, Daily Telegraph
"A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich is a bedtime treat to share with my two children and proof that brilliance and perspicacity needn't be stuffy."
– Bettany Hughes, The Times
"Delightful [...] charming."
– PopMatters
[A] brisk, clear-eyed trot through the centuries."
– Tom Beer, Maine Sunday Telegram
"A work firmly aimed at educating young readers [...] [I] marvelled at Gombrich's uncomplicated presentation and brilliantly digestible prose when grappling with such awe-inspiring subject matter."
– Oliver Barker, Art Newspaper
