The Book of Amazing History

by Publications International

Contents:
Voyages of discovery
Momentous events
Lowlights
Sites and structures
Towering figures
Notable groups
Let's hear it for the ladies!
Health and medicine
The art of it all
Pastimes
Pop culture
Food and drink
Crime
Strange but true
Timeline

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historical

704 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Publications International, Ltd. (PIL) is a leading North American publisher, producing hundreds of new titles each year and printing millions of books annually. CEO Louis Weber founded the company in 1967 with a mission to provide high-quality, high-value products for consumers worldwide.

PIL publishes books in many categories, including the popular Brain Games® series of puzzle, sticker and coloring books, in addition to cookbooks, children’s books, craft, reference and much more.

PIL's bestselling Brain Games® product line features a wide array of puzzle books, including standards such as word searches, crosswords, sudokus, codewords, and cryptograms, as well as variety puzzle books themed around crime, Christmas, summer, celebrities, and more.

The New Seasons® division publishes a variety of stationery products that combine unique formats with the latest trends in design. Among these are Sticker by Number titles, Color and Frame books, notepad sets, journals, and recipe keepers. These products are the perfect vehicle to de-stress and relax, organize your day, and record and share memories.

Collectible Automobile® magazine, another division of PIL, presents an in-depth look at the cars and trucks that Americans have known and loved for decades. First published in 1984, Collectible Automobile® magazine is released six times a year.

PIL's cookbooks feature visually outstanding presentations of culinary classics and world cuisine, including books that focus on the Mediterranean diet, plant-based cooking, restaurant recipes, and the best in entertaining.

Reviews

[রাগিব হাসান · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all other books from the same publisher, this is a collection of short (1-2 page) articles with interesting facts. If you are as pressed as me in finding reading time, this would be a great book to casually read a few pages at a time.

[Jason Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

These kinds of books are fun to read through once in a while. But while they are interesting, I did notice some factual errors in this book. An example is when the book stated that the Rwandan genocide occurred in 1993, rather than in 1994 the year it actually occurred. Some stories in here were interesting but most were pretty much basic history that would probably be taught in schools anyway, so best I can rate it is 3 stars.

[Andy Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book my MIL gave me for the Winter Holiday. It would be more interesting if it had identifiable authors. The writing style is mostly consistent, but I would bet this was written by many paid ghostwriters who did the individual entries. There is a marked liberal bias in some entries and tang of Christian religiosity in others. If you come across this it makes a great occasional reader, but it's not a unique work. If you're looking for a good history work, I'd recommend any of the ones from the editors of Mental Floss.

[Brentman99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the best way to rate this book is to compare it to a similar genre (?) which would be the Bathroom Readers series. Compared to those, this book is not quite as good by my estimation. However, it does some have some interesting areas. The downside is that I found some typos or errors that are a bit annoying, but that's coming from a guy with two history degrees, so that layman might not even notice.

I would take this as "history light" that would hopefully spark some additional reading. My only wish is that there had been some parts that were a bit longer. As it is, I think the longest section may have been four pages.

like a Bathroom Reader, this is much better kept in the throne room to be read a few pages at a time, rather than straight through like a traditional book.

[Tomijo Gale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently compiled by a collective of researchers, the articles read like a shortened version of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader articles, light of tone and unfortunately fairly light on real details. Each article is more of a dabble than an examination and the writing style is kept purposefully light.

While this book is no general history course, it does cast its eyes on a number of stories not normally told (like Russia's Amber Room), so to anyone with more than a shallow and desultory interest in real history, this collection can pique interest and launch more than a few deeper researches.

Not bad for a starting point but none of the stories told get much beyond after dinner cigar observations.

[Jeffrey Sandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting enough, many pages and snippets all over the map of humanity. But not as engaging or eclectic as the firsthand, seemingly inevitable comparison to the Bathroom Readers series, which ends up as phenomenal and not an easy challenger. The entries are a bit bland, like some vacant ghost party has written most of the book. But overall I really enjoyed it as these factoids were compelling enough to read the whole volume

[Chris King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent bathroom reading.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another collection of facts I can add to my irrelevant-to-my-career mental file folder. It’s a bun chi of interesting stories you’d never hear in history class.

[Andrew Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for people wanting to read facts about history! I remember reading one story about the history of chocolate and that Americans spend about $13 billion a year on the tasty treat.

[Ron Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool facts!

[Matt Dietzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting topics throughout. The short time spent on each topic always felt appropriate and was perfect for someone with a short attention span, like me.

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Random knowledge. Fun.

[C.M. Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second Book of Amazing History has published, and just like the second Book of Weird and Unusual Trivia, this is basically a shorter version of the previous Book of Amazing History. Having finished the first book before starting this one the only real difference I saw was that this newer (shorter) version has a few actual photographs while the first (longer) version only has a few drawings. I was really disappointed.

[Scott L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book full of short historical vignettes. I debate some of its accuracy, but it is an ok read for someone who has little or no knowledge of World History, or someone who likes reading about world history a few pages at a time.

[Keith B · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a great bathroom reader on history.

[Noha Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative book, well written, and concise, which makes the history interesting.

[Keiffer Farr · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a history lover, this was a fun read!! Many of the events, places, and people, were interesting to read about, especially reading about lesser known people in history.

[Raving Redcoat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of historical tidbits. Perfect for bedtime reading.