A Little History of the World, by E H Gombrich

People who know "little" should not write history and not certainly a book that proclaims to be a summary of the history of the world. Gombrich's book rushes through historical events like a stamp collector displaying his collection, pausing significantly only when he knows a little bit more about the subject.

Gombrich's book is very Euro-centric, ignoring Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. Many misunderstandings abound. He is also a bit clueless about and prejudiced against other cultures and religions. He makes sweeping statements about events when more nuance would be ideal. Not a good book to understand history. You are better off with Wikipedia.

Tags: history