E. H. Gombrich (1909–2001) was the author of many works, including the international bestsellers The Story of Art and Art and Illusion. He was director of the Warburg Institute of the University of London from 1959 to 1976.
“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
“This ‘little history’ has aged amazingly well.”—New York Times
Book Review
“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 millennium, and the
smallness of the differences between people. A delight.”—Daily
Telegraph
“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
“Gombrich knows precisely how to converse with his audience,
intelligent children between nine and thirteen. He uses powerful
imagery to convey the sheer length of time that separates us from
the dinosaurs.”—Andrew Roberts, FT Magazine
“The book is intellectually valuable, and unusual; rather than
breaking history into eras or artificial categories . . . Gombrich
contextualizes them all and gives the vast unfolding of the Western
world one wise, simple narrative. . . . For adults, it is full of
delightful reminders as well as forgotten or never-known tidbits.
As for younger readers . . . [the book] is a treasure for
them.”—Katie Haegele, Philadelphia Inquirer
“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
“What was the bestselling title this Christmas at Foyles in London?
Hilary Mantel’s Man Booker Prize–winning Wolf Hall? Stieg Larsson’s
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? Cormac McCarthy’s The Road? Dan
Brown’s The Lost Symbol? No. It was E. H. Gombrich’s A Little
History of the World.”—Mark Sanderson, Sunday 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
“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
“So sharp was Gombrich’s intelligence and so lively his pen that it
can be appreciated as much as literature as history. . . . There is
not one of the 39 short chapters that is not enlivened by a sharp
insight or arresting image.”—Tim Blanning, Sunday Telegraph
“A enduring joy. . . . We have no shortage of historians eager to
tell us what was important in the past and why; but few of them
dare speak straight to the imagination of young people, to open
their minds and to enrich their vision in the manner that Gombrich
achieves so effortlessly here.”—Peter Furtado, Times Higher
Education Supplement
“A sophisticated narrative by the art historian which runs up to
the First World War, written in language any child can
understand.”—Lorna Bradbury, Daily Telegraph
"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
“This is an unusual work for Yale: a children’s history originally
published 70 years ago. But it is a work one can quickly come to
love. . . . Using vivid imagery, storytelling and sly humor,
[Gombrich] brings history to life in a way that adults as well as
children can appreciate. The book displays a breadth of
knowledge.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The true fairy tale of the evolution of mankind.”—Die Zeit
“A panoramic overview of history from the Stone Age to the 1990s
that . . . manages to be entertaining and informative. . . .
Gombrich, in other words, is a born teacher whose humanistic values
are implicit in every word he wrote. . . . It has taken almost 70
years to reach English-speaking readers. It has been worth the
wait: expertly translated, elegantly produced and charmingly
illustrated by Clifford Harper, it will enchant any child.”—Joel
Greenberg, The Australian
“An engrossing kaleidoscopic account of global history from the
ancient Egyptians to the Treaty of Versailles.”—Tristram Hunt, BBC
History Magazine
“This book . . . has been called ‘the true fairytale of the
evolution of mankind.’ I would happily go along with that and
intend to give a copy as a stocking present to a favourite Godchild
of mine.”—Richard Edmonds, Birmingham Post
“Any adult reader will find plenty to nourish thought.”—John Whale,
Church Times
“I love the new translation of Gombrich’s classic history for
children. Both entertaining and informative, it makes perfect
bedtime reading.”—Katy Lazenby, Western Morning News
“The book charms, amuses and informs superbly. . . . In A Little
History, Gombrich proves he is as much a story teller as a
professor.”—Andrew Roberts, Daily Express
". . . this Little Book . . . is a thing of ripping yarns told
at a rattling pace. Seventy years too late, I wish that the
first edition had been available to me to read as often and over as
many years as The Wind in the Willows, a book that grew in depth as
I grew older. . . . Had I a dozen grandchildren (of any age) I'd
order two dozen copies, one for the children, the other for their
parents. Do not, from its title, underestimate this book."—Brian
Sewell, Evening Standard
". . . another charming work of history for children which is
shortly to be published by Yale and first appeared in 1935. . . .
It's as fresh now as it was then. If I were Ruth Kelly, the
Education Secretary, I'd order a copy for myself. Then I'd make it
prescribed reading for every primary school in the
country."—Melanie McDonagh, Evening Standard
"Christmas gift of the year is surely . . . A Little History of the
World. This is a magical work for children. . . . Perfect for
bedtime reading."—John Banville, Irish Times
Featured by the 2006 Association of American University Presses
(AAUP) in University Press Books for Public and Secondary
School Libraries
A 2006 Book Sense Highlight
E. H. Gombrich was awarded the 1985 International Balzan Foundation
Prize
Named a Favorite Book of 2005 by the Los Angeles Times
Selected by the Association of American University Presses as an
Outstanding Book for Public and Secondary School Libraries,
2005
“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
“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
"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
"This 'little history' has aged amazingly well."-New York Times
Book Review
"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 millennium, and the
smallness of the differences between people. A delight."-Daily
Telegraph
"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
"Gombrich knows precisely how to converse with his audience,
intelligent children between nine and thirteen. He uses powerful
imagery to convey the sheer length of time that separates us from
the dinosaurs."-Andrew Roberts, FT Magazine
"The book is intellectually valuable, and unusual; rather than
breaking history into eras or artificial categories . . . Gombrich
contextualizes them all and gives the vast unfolding of the Western
world one wise, simple narrative. . . . For adults, it is full of
delightful reminders as well as forgotten or never-known tidbits.
As for younger readers . . . [the book] is a treasure for
them."-Katie Haegele, Philadelphia Inquirer
"What was the bestselling title this Christmas at Foyles in London?
Hilary Mantel's Man Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall? Stieg
Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? Cormac McCarthy's
The Road? Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol? No. It was E.
H. Gombrich's A Little History of the World."-Mark
Sanderson, Sunday Telegraph
"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
"So sharp was Gombrich's intelligence and so lively his pen that it
can be appreciated as much as literature as history. . . . There is
not one of the 39 short chapters that is not enlivened by a sharp
insight or arresting image."-Tim Blanning, Sunday
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
"A enduring joy. . . . We have no shortage of historians eager to
tell us what was important in the past and why; but few of them
dare speak straight to the imagination of young people, to open
their minds and to enrich their vision in the manner that Gombrich
achieves so effortlessly here."-Peter Furtado, Times Higher
Education Supplement
"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 sophisticated narrative by the art historian which runs up to
the First World War, written in language any child can
understand."-Lorna Bradbury, Daily Telegraph
"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
"This is an unusual work for Yale: a children's history originally
published 70 years ago. But it is a work one can quickly come to
love. . . . Using vivid imagery, storytelling and sly humor,
[Gombrich] brings history to life in a way that adults as well as
children can appreciate. The book displays a breadth of
knowledge."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The true fairy tale of the evolution of mankind."-Die
Zeit
"A panoramic overview of history from the Stone Age to the 1990s
that . . . manages to be entertaining and informative. . . .
Gombrich, in other words, is a born teacher whose humanistic values
are implicit in every word he wrote. . . . It has taken almost 70
years to reach English-speaking readers. It has been worth the
wait: expertly translated, elegantly produced and charmingly
illustrated by Clifford Harper, it will enchant any child."-Joel
Greenberg, The Australian
"An engrossing kaleidoscopic account of global history from the
ancient Egyptians to the Treaty of Versailles."-Tristram Hunt,
BBC History Magazine
"This book . . . has been called 'the true fairytale of the
evolution of mankind.' I would happily go along with that and
intend to give a copy as a stocking present to a favourite Godchild
of mine."-Richard Edmonds, Birmingham Post
"Any adult reader will find plenty to nourish thought."-John Whale,
Church Times
"The book charms, amuses and informs superbly. . . . In A Little
History, Gombrich proves he is as much a story teller as a
professor."-Andrew Roberts, Daily Express
". . . this Little Book . . . is a thing of ripping yarns told
at a rattling pace. Seventy years too late, I wish that the first
edition had been available to me to read as often and over as many
years as The Wind in the Willows, a book that grew in depth
as I grew older. . . . Had I a dozen grandchildren (of any age) I'd
order two dozen copies, one for the children, the other for their
parents. Do not, from its title, underestimate this book."-Brian
Sewell, Evening Standard
". . . another charming work of history for children which is
shortly to be published by Yale and first appeared in 1935. . . .
It's as fresh now as it was then. If I were Ruth Kelly, the
Education Secretary, I'd order a copy for myself. Then I'd make it
prescribed reading for every primary school in the
country."-Melanie McDonagh, Evening Standard
"Christmas gift of the year is surely . . . A Little History
of the World. This is a magical work for children. . . . Perfect
for bedtime reading."-John Banville, Irish Times
"It is a joy to read, not merely because of his effortless mastery
of global history, but also because he clearly was an enchanting
man."-Kevin Myers, Irish Times
Featured by the 2006 Association of American University Presses
(AAUP) in University Press Books for Public and Secondary School
Libraries
Named a Favorite Book of 2005 by the Los Angeles Times
A 2006 Book Sense Highlight
E. H. Gombrich was awarded the 1985 International Balzan Foundation
Prize
"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
"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
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