A wealth of ideas
This is a rich book that, quite interestingly, explores history through predominant ideas that made an impact. It is more or less chronologically organized, and this gives a special effect to the whole production. Of course, internal links between ideas are helpfully provided to create a network of thought. The book is very well illustrated, and this makes each contribution in the book beautiful in appearance as well as interesting. Also, it is a good idea, I think, that each idea treated is allotted one single spread page. This makes it easy and convenient for teachers to use the book with students. Most of the essays presented in the book are very well-written. Some of them, however, I find to be too restricted, maybe revealing certain Westernized biases that could be corrected with a better, and more inclusive, critical eye. Also, the book perhaps gives the strong impression that human history is a progression of ideas that changed the world. Maybe it would have been more precise to search for the source of ideas in prevailing social conditions and means of production. Ideas, I think, rest on, and arise from, these, rather than the opposite. In other words, though the ideas presented are all interesting in themselves, perhaps it is not made sufficiently clear WHY these ideas, and maybe not others, arose at all; what was their reason for existing. One final point I would like to make is this: though Fernandez-Armesto makes a special effort not to ignore ideas arising in other traditions apart from the Western one, he still could have included ideas coming, for instance, from Africa (which is almost completely ignored) and other parts of the world (such as the Caribbean, islands, small states, etc.). Having said all this, I do recommend this excellent book. At least, it makes you see the world in terms of the ideas that fly about, shaping our mind and lives.
Brilliant in Conception, Brilliant in Execution
For years, DK from the UK has been turning out visually stimulating books using sharp layout, smart editing, and excellent photography. (For example, those large format "Eyewitness" books for kids.) They're beautiful and informative and, well, beautiful.
Perversely, they've now turned to a subject that isn't necessarily visual -- the history of ideas. A total success. Full of "ah" moments, studded with "a-ha!" moments, this book is quite intelligently assembled. And, of course, it looks great. The greatest praise I can give this book is that it makes me want to run out and read more deeply.
(I sort of wish that editions of this book had been published every 50 years, starting with 1600. Now those would be something to browse through.)
classroom warm-up, coffeetable topper, 10 minute filler, mosaic history masterpiece?
There's much truth in the other reviewers' comments, this book has many aspects and could just as easily be hated by a die-hard academic and it could be loved by a science degree 'haver' like myself.
The book is a time-line of sorts spanning the first (as far as we can imagine) idea in mankind's history through to modern inventions (spawned by an idea, of course) in society.
Ideas are presented in chapters of sorts by what evolutionary/historic time period/epoch they ocurred in, yet the whole book glides along easily and isn't at all broken up by this.
Nice air-brushed pictures, quotes, further-reading suggesitons dot the page to break up well-written shortish textx on the idea at hand.
So far I paint a nice picture but the downside, for some readers, will be that there isn't a deep/sound treatment of the ideas (conversly every idea has a further-reading list), since the scope is so broad; and for some, the smooth style will be too sickly-sweet glossy magazine (for others an anti-dote to heavy text-vomiting uni-course texts).
I'd recomment this strongly to anyone like me who needs to gain an overviews/perspective, to have interests awoken and so forth. I'd also recommend it to teachers of subjects like philosophy, history, society, culture etc.
For me, it's an idea-a-day new year's resolution to learn more about the world I tread and the history of my species... a gem of a book. 4.49 stars.
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