History Civilization Combined

by Robin W. Winks

Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

About the author

Robin W. Winks was an American academic, historian, diplomat, writer on the subject of fiction, especially detective novels, and advocate for the National Parks.

Reviews

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 3 out of 5]

The detail that completely flipped my perspective in History Civilization Combined was how many famous "inventions" had a dozen forgotten co-creators, and the one name we remember mostly just had the best lawyer. Robin W. Winks dug into patent filings and personal diaries, and the sneaky little betrayals, like a partner finding out his own work had been signed over, feel like a soap opera. The pacing dragged a bit in the chapters about early manufacturing. Solid pick if you like history that gives the credit back to the people who earned it.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest reaction to History Civilization Combined: I couldn't decide if I was reading a comedy about grief or a grief book that happens to be funny. Robin W. Winks puts a family in a hardware store, arguing over which ugly urn to buy for Grandpa, and the whole scene is so absurd and so sad that I laughed and teared up in the same breath. The humor gets a little forced late in the book. Great for anyone who's sat through a weird funeral. Skip it if jokes about death make you uneasy.