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A Little History of the World

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A Little History of the World

By: E. H. Gombrich
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
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In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, twenty-six-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. Amazingly, he completed the task in an intense six weeks, and Eine kurze Weltgeschichte für junge Leser was published in Vienna to immediate success. It is now an international bestseller and available in almost thirty languages across the world.

In forty concise chapters, Gombrich tells the story of man from the Stone Age to the atomic bomb. In between emerges a colorful picture of wars and conquests, grand works of art, and the spread and limitations of science. This is a text dominated not by dates and facts but by the sweep of mankind’s experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity’s achievements and an acute witness to its frailties. The product of a generous and humane sensibility, this timeless account makes intelligible the full span of human history.

©1985 DuMont Literatur und Kunst Verlag GmbH und Co. KG, Cologne, Germany. English translation ©2005 Leonie Gombrich; (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.
History & Culture Literature & Fiction Middle Ages War Heartfelt Africa Imperialism Ancient History Crusade Interwar Period
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Critic reviews

"A lovely, lively historical survey....A fine conception and summarizing of the world's checkered past for young and old." (Kirkus Reviews)
"A remarkable book, written in an amiable, conversational style....This resurrected history deserves reading for all its delights." (The New York Times)

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I love the flow of this history book. I had to buy a physical copy to have the pictures also, but it’s also lovely to listen to.

Beautiful history book

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This is a good little history lesson with most of the important events that everyone should know.

Good History

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Excellent touch on all time periods and an incredibly thought provoking final chapter, well worth a listen

Brilliant and thought provoking

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Spot on, I loved it to bits. It's like a good friend who talked about history

Amazing

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I really enjoyed this book as it is full, cover to cover, with historic knowledge

Amazing book beautiful read

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