National Geographic Essential Visual History of the World

by National Geographic Society

From the dawn of civilization to the first decade of the 21st century, this straightforwardly written, superbly accessible reference distills the concentrated essence of world history into a single compact, 544-page volume that fits in the palm of your hand. Featuring more than 1,000 illustrations, it's a book as vivid as it is definitive, with an innovative design that invites readers to envision the human epic from a wide variety of revealing perspectives.

Here are history's greatest moments presented in self-contained, interactive spreads organized by epochal themes and cross-referenced to offer an in-depth and multi-dimensional view of major world events. The book is organized into eight fundamental eras from prehistory to the present day, with a timeline detailing each section and fascinating sidebars throughout which explore the full scope of the human experience. The illustrations offer a constant, vibrant counterpoint, carefully selected not only to complement the text and depict its important events and personalities, but also to provide the visual excitement that helps turn a wealth of informative facts into an irresistibly fascinating adventure.

A casual browser's delight yet authoritative and wide-ranging enough to engage lifelong history buffs or enlighten students in search of a panoramic overview, this amazingly affordable book is truly what its title describes: essential.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, Historical, Geography

544 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2007

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[Pramod Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loaded with tons of facts, this book covers everything related to the history of our world; spanning from the very early days to present day history. Even though each entry is presented with out much depth, i find this a very good ready reckoner.

[Sully (sully.reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intellectually curious! :3
Currently reading the brief important facts about the Early Modern History to the contemporary world! I don't give much attention to the Pre-history(From the beginning to about 3000BC) though. :p

[Farzad Moradi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential Visual History of the World is a well-crafted, comprehensive, and accessible guide. It balances informative text with stunning visuals, making it both engaging and educational—a great book for anyone wanting to delve into world history.

[Diana Tubello · Rating 5 out of 5]

very helpful to my research

[Tue Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be a little larger and thicker. This is decent but too brief in my view. Some bits are weirdly opinionated and could have been better written. I spotted some grammatical errors, too.

[melora warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across several typos in this book. Granted, they were minor typos, but any more than 1 is an unnecessary oversight. Other than that, this book is plethora of history spanning from the very beginning to modern times and everything in between. Featuring all of the major battles, wars, historical figures, events and achievements that happened all over the world and changed the course of history. There is quite a lot packed into this small little book and nothing is spoken of in great depth, but if you're looking for a crash course on just about everything, then this book is it.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, entertaining and informative. A great bathroom book.

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome quick reader. With tons of short facts.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, compact, basic condensed history of the world that serves as a good overview with the key events, but as another reviewer pointed out, quite a few typos.