Ultimate Visual History of the World by Jean-Pierre Isbouts

“This book is truly a story of our species – and how, against incredible odds, despite innumerable disasters and catastrophic conflicts, humans found a way to survive, and thrive.”

 Are you looking for a Christmas gift for the history lover in your family?  You may have found it in National Geographic’s new publication, Ultimate Visual History of the World:  The Story of Humankind from Prehistory to Modern Times.  I love history as does my husband and sons.  I let my sons preview this book and they really loved the high-quality illustrations. 

 The book is coffee table book size and has beautiful glossy paper and pictures. It starts with the dawn of humankind and ends with today’s COVID crisis.  The book is split into ten chapters as follows:  Dawn of Humankind, Cultures of the Bronze Age, Cultures of the Iron Age, The Classical Age, The Age of Faith, The Age of Conflict, The Age of Discovery, Reason and Revolution, The World at War, and The Modern Age.  There is a great introduction and epilogue that rounds out the book.  There are also great maps to illustration ideas such as human migration or the spread of Christianity.  Each chapter has notable dates during that time period and cut outs with interesting facts.  The end of this book also has a great section for further reading if you want to deep dive into any of the sections.  It’s a really fun and interesting book to peruse. 

 My favorite part about this book is that it dives into history from ALL around the world.  I like this description from the introduction, “It is a story told across the full canvas of human civilization, from Asia to Africa, from Europe to the Pacific, and from the Middle East – the birthplace of human civilization – to the Americas. It is an exciting story, filled with the rise and fall of dynasties and empires, the drama of wars and conflict, the stunning impact of new discovers, the heroic deeds of men and women and, above all, the power of ideas.”  I feel like what I learned in school was primarily focused on United States and European history.  I’m still trying to learn more about the history of the broader world. 

 Overall, Ultimate Visual History of the World is a beautiful and interesting book for history lovers and those that would like to learn more about world history.

 Book Source:  Review Copy from Hachette Book Group for being a part of the TLC Book Tour. 
Thank-you!

About Ultimate Visual History of the World

• Publisher: National Geographic (October 19, 2021) 

• Hardcover: 656 pages

Follow the fascinating threads of human history in this monumental volume, amply illustrated with maps, archival imagery, and revealing photographs.

History comes to life in this comprehensive overview of humankind, from earliest times to the present day. Each page is filled with stunning visuals and thought-provoking text that make this book an instant classic. From the Babylonian Empire to the Persian Gulf War, from the Xia and Shang Dynasties of Bronze Age China to the new space race, from Egyptian hieroglyphics to the digital age?here, in vivid color and crisp narrative, is the sweeping story of the history of civilization.

Every chapter includes:

• Notable dates
• Salient quotations from the time
• Explanatory maps
• Fascinating sidebar stories
• Photographs of artifacts & landscapes
• Art works depicting dramatic scenes

Visually driven, rich and far-reaching yet friendly and browsable, with iconic National Geographic maps, illustrations, and images enhancing the pages, this new book is a history-lover’s dream.

 

You can complete your collection of recent National Geographic history books with National Geographic History at a Glance and More Bad Days in History by Michael Farquhar -- and you will treasure earlier National Geographic titles by this author, including The Biblical World,In the Footsteps of Jesus, and Archaeology of the Bible.

 

Purchase Links

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