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A world history book you'll want to read
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Sometimes the best books truly are the time-worn classics, and if that holds true for great literature, why not for non-fiction as well? We have found a little gem of a book in the quest to build our own world history study program this year, along with a massive tome we are still struggling to fully appreciate. The treasure we're enjoying may be known to some already (and its author better recognized by art history enthusiasts), but it is new to us. It is A Little History of the World by E.L Gombrich, first published in Vienna in 1935 and later revised and translated into English.
For a pleasurable read through the world's past from stone-age man up until the 1940s, Gombrich's work is a winner. Written for children, it reads like a narrated story and contains bits of humor as well as informative text. Instead of interminable lists of dates and rulers, A Little History of the World weaves mankind's story into a page turner of pleasure. While short and condensed, it still manages to cover such topics as the origins of Buddhism to the guilds of the Middle Ages.
The designation of children's book is misleading. My high school son and I are learning much as we read it together, and I think the light style belies the wealth of information contained in its 284 pages. Alone, it would not suffice for a high school level course, but as an added resource it brings joy to the study and clarifies topics perhaps too dense in other books. It offers a breath of fresh air to a subject often considered old and musty.
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