A History of the World in 100 Objects Kindle Edition

This is an excellent read. As usual, BBC does not disappoint. The book is compiled from transcripts of a 100-episode series on BBC Radio. One hundred objects are thoughtfully picked from exhibits at the British Museum to chronicle the history of mankind, from its earliest beginnings up to the 21st century. The 100 chapters are short, but solid, each corresponding to an episode on radio. The book is great for leisurely, but very informative reading. A definite advantage that the book has over the radio episodes is that it shows each of the 100 objects in full colour.The book is highly recommended for any reader who is interested in understanding the development of mankind. It provides clear and useful background for reflecting on how we have come to where we are -- when and how we have progressed, as well as when and how often we have regressed.I read a Kindle version, which allows me to magnify photographs to look closely at the 100 objects. My only complaint is that, with Kindle, it has been rather more cumbersome for me to refer back to the page with the photographs in each chapter while I was cruising through.

The book gives one a smattering of knowledge regarding ancient geography, cultures, materials, human migration, art, and religion across the ages. A great book to just pick up and start reading. Each item has its own story. It talks about the objects, their meaning, when and where they were created, and by whom. It demonstrates quite soundly that humanity has been advancing, in fits and starts, for many thousands of years. All during that time people had their own ideas about life, art, the use of objects, crafts and trades. Art, it shows clearly, has been a part of human life since the very beginning of pre-history. Thick but not very large paperback, the cover is beautiful but the gold printing is a bit fragile if you have greasy hands. Makes a great gift. Buy one for a gift and one for yourself.

I'm afraid I must respectfully disagree with other customers in the review section. For the price, this is a FIVE-STAR book. It is illustrated beautifully with full color photographs. I have the hard-copy and not the Kindle version (though I do own a Kindle). My guess is that the pages would present stunningly on the Kindle for iPad or Kindle for Mac. I also have a Kindle E-ink reader. I doubt it would show well on that last device. I noticed one of the reviewers criticized the photo quality. I must disagree. I find it to be top notch. It is presented in a matte format rather than glossy print.. so my guess is the reviewer would have preferred the glossy versions. I, on the other hand, love the matte finishes on all the photographs which are nicely crisp and detailed.EXCELLENT book for the price. A perfect gift for a history buff. I love it and I bought it here on Amazon.

I believe I learned more per page reading this book than any I've ever read. A tour through all of history using objects collected (stolen?) by the British Museum, this book is a bravura execution of material culture and archaeological studies. In fact, I used several entries with my Advanced Placement Literature class in order to expose them to effective and interesting "close reading." MacGregor does with objects what literary critics do with a passage of poetry: he describes the object (lovely pictures ARE included), he gives a fascinating context of the period in which this object was used, and finally, provides an analysis of what the object "says" about the people, nation, and region that used or owned it. I find this method of historical explication incredibly engaging. Rather than begin with abstract concepts like democracy, Federalism, or ethnic cleansing, MacGregor begins with the concrete--a vase, a coin, a flower pot-- and says here's what this culture produced, here's what that says about them. This also dovetails nicely with what I teach in class regarding advertising; that we can come to understand the ideals of a nation by studying its advertisements. Interestingly, the objects MacGregor chooses also function as "advertisements" for their respective milieus. A testament to how well this book is written and constructed is that I read it incredibly quickly. Before I knew it, I was on object 56 at the 300 something page mark and I had no mental fatigue. The fact that the book is organized in 100 3 to 4 pages "chapters" helps a lot because I found myself reading a few objects here and there whenever I had some spare time. I recommend this book highly to anyone who has even a fleeting interest in archaeology or cultural materialism; your efforts, and the rather hefty price of the book will be worth it.

Extraordinary. Everything: the format, the language, above all the content matter spanning all cultures, never boring, ever illuminating the immense shadows of ignorance around those glimpses of our own story that school managed to slip through, but never really taught. I know the author could not possibly fit in the whole British museum, but I miss one more single item I try and never fail to go and see again every time in London: the "Karissima Lepidina" message on wood tablet that from the marginal outpost in Vindolanda speaks of family life and value through about 18 centuries with an immediacy... that requires no mediation, almost no translation: women were writing, cursive handwriting was telling, postage was functional, time was set apart to keep in touch, leisure trips were planned... I would really like everybody to learn from the mastery of Neil Macgregor the details. May the next edition will be of 101 objects.

Each of these BBC broadcasts, here in printed form, are absolutely brilliant. Mr. MacGregor has a rigorous and poetic grasp of these various and symbolic representations of the past. I have had the privilege of visiting the British Museum at least 8 times during my lifetime. I plan to visit it again, like a small child, and seek out the brilliant treasures Mr. MacGregor describes.

I was just a bit reticent about downloading this book. I was not familiar with the radio series and my preference has always been for narrative/chronological history - an unfolding story. So I was slightly put off by the idea of a collection of essays surrounding various objects. Again, some reviews seemed to speak of the poor quality of the illustrations in the printed version. No worries! Each essay, though centered on the particular object, broadens out and often its scope covers all history, making points and drawing comparisons and contrasts with various aspects of all civilisation. Really good, really interesting. And as far as the illustrations are concerned, they are sharp HD and are presented well on my Kindle. An excellent book. Thank you.

Originally this book started out as a project for BBC Radio 4; with four years in the planning, and a host of experts to help him, Neil MacGregor has created a really special collection of top artefacts, all of which can be found at the British Museum. The series has been described as a project charting the history of humanity, and after having read the book it comes as no surprise that it has won awards and bursaries for the museum, at which MacGregor was the Director for 13 years.Each object gets about five pages each, so the chapters are a bite-size insight into each era of history that the object relates to. Remember that this project started as a radio series, and so each week they would have different guests on the show, experts in the fields that each item relates to; in the book there are little snippets of what each guest had to say.Whilst the book might be a bit too heavy and full on to read in one go, it’s one of those books you can dip in and out of, and the chapters are short and punchy which makes it all the more easier.This book is a must for anyone who considers themselves a history enthusiast, no matter what period of history interests you. One of the cleverest things about the book is how it connects each epoch. When you think about the Romans, or Greeks, or Egyptians, you don’t necessarily know how time transitioned from one to the other, but this book covers the in-between phases too.I would also recommend this book to anyone who has interests in social sciences, philosophy, and politics too. This book is invaluable in giving an objective view of the world’s history as we know it. If you want to understand how and why we are the way we are, then you need to know where we came from, and this history connects all of us.Not only does this book fill in the blanks between dynasties and eras, but all of the objects are to be found in the British Museum. It really brings each artefact to life, instead of just reading the two lines next to each artefact which never truly does it justice.I'd recommend reading the book, highlighting the chapters/items you want to see, and take the book with you on a visit to the British Museum. Don’t be surprised if you find people following you, having a book in your hand and looking determined like you know where you’re going usually makes an impression on other visitors.

I actually bought this book for my husband, not thinking it would interest me at all. Yet, being a lover of books I had to have a sneaky in and ended up reading, and thoroughly enjoying, the entire book. This was a fascinating read which had me interested in subjects I'd never cared to read or learn about before, which is my signal to an altogether phenomenal recipe for a great book. Riveting. I highly recommend it Go on, read it!

Every home should have one. Great for ageing young people. You can dip into this book even without a coffee table. It reminds you of who you are and where you came from and what you’re going to lose when the planet blows up some time soon. If you read an object a day you just might get through it. Please use in conjunction with the podcast on BBC Sounds and always be grateful to the BBC and Neil MacGregor and his contributors. This is what civilisation has been about.

I recently visited the British Museum after having read this book. Finding the items covered and seeing them for the first time for real, was like meeting old friends. Afterwards I bought the book the Museum sells: 'Masterpieces of the British Museum'. If you compare it to 'A History', you find an overlap in topics covered, but the two are entirely different approaches. Whereas the museum guide gives you per page one clear illustration plus half a page of accompanying text, in 'A History' you get 4 to 5 pages text with two photographs. I read quite a few comments on the photographs not being good enough to do this book credit. I disagree on this: the quality is OK. Besides, the book is based on a radio series, and the photographs are certainly not the most important part of the book. 'A History' is just what it is: each object is described and put in a broader context as the starting point for telling a piece of world history. This book is as much an (educative) masterpiece as the 100 objects it covers!