History's Great Untold Stories: Obscure and Fascinating Accounts with Important Lessons for the World

by Joseph Cummins

This eye-catching volume combines vivid first-hand accounts of pivotal events in history with authoritative commentary. Revealing startling links among events and people separated by centuries and continents, the epic struggles and bombastic personalities have been carefully chosen for their power to challenge some of the fiercest debates of our present day.

Readers encounter William the Silent, a Dutch monarch whose assassination may have triggered the 1588 launch of the Spanish Armada and led Queen Elizabeth I to create the first known attempt at gun control. Another chapter introduces Rabban Sauma, a thirteenth-century Christian monk sent by Kublai Khan to seek a Christian-Mongol alliance against Muslims. There is also the remarkable story of twelve anti-slavery activists who fought the prevailing business and political establishment of their day to outlaw slavery in England, using tactics that have become tools of the trade for every grassroots movement that has followed.

Filled with fascinating sidebars, narratives, maps, illustrations, and concise biographies, this new volume gathers up the rich details that Western history left on the cutting room floor and turns them into stories that shed light on both vanquished and victor over the ages. With its fresh, design and accessible format, History's Great Untold Stories will be welcomed by the legions of readers who are eager to uncover "history's mysteries" and explore lesser known, non-Western views of world events.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World History, American History, Historical

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2007

About the author

Joseph Cummins is the author of numerous books, including Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Elections; A Bloody History of the World, which won the 2010 Our History Project Gold Medal Award; and the forthcoming Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Iset · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a hidden gem this book is. I must admit I had expected something mildly interesting but not engrossing, given that it is one of those multi-era compilation type books that I so often find myself picking up out of idle interest and for light reading in between heavier non-fiction with one specialised focus. But this book had me engrossed all the way through. Telling the stories of 28 key moments or lives from history that have been largely forgotten, Cummins writes with clarity, attention to detail, and a real focus on capturing the essences of these different people. And not all of them are heroes – some may arguably be described as downright villainous, but what matters is the lasting impact they had. Some of the figures I knew about previously – indeed, that was why I picked up the book in the first place; Baldwin IV, the leper king of Outremer; Subotai, the Mongol general; Wilhelm I of Orange, father of the Dutch nation. But many more stories were new to me; David Thompson, geographer and ethnographer in Canada; John Wesley Powell’s fascination with the natural world and the Grand Canyon; Queen Min and the struggle for an independent Korea. Fascinating stories within these pages.

9 out of 10

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun - better than I expected - but not great. Those were the words I made a note of when I finished this book and it just as well because it has vanished entirely from my memory. I am giving it three stars only because I made a note that I thought it was 'fun'. I should be clear that while it was amusing it certainly doesn't deserve shelving as comic-satire - if it did I'd probably give it five stars!

If you can borrow it from a library do so. If you like 'loo books' as they were called in my youth (books piled next to the toilet which lent themselves to sporadic and interrupted reading) then this is the book for you. Otherwise I can't recommend it.

[Sionnie Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Hrvoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know?
Well this is this kind of book. Some great stories

[Ross Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supremely digestible for a non-historian and full of diverse and interesting stories from across the last millennium. Cummings always attempts to provoke the thoughts of the reader at the end of each chapter, to imagine how our world would have changed if the chips had fallen only slightly differently.

I was especially enlightened by the back chapters focusing on the 1800s onwards, which has always been a period that my education (formal and informal) neglected. Notable examples include; John Devoy and the formation of the Republic of Ireland, David Thompson the North American Cartographer and finally the almost unbelievable 1938 Nazi expedition into Tibet to find the origins of the Aryan Race.

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting material, but written in that grating, cliché-ridden style reminiscent of the History Channel.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of historic events that have had big impacts on our current world. Each story provides a great summary, context and some nice artwork as well.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read; great illustrations throughout on historic events I had never heard about prior.

[Michael Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers 28 interesting events and odd stories that unless you are a history nut you have never heard about. The book is written in National Geographic's normal, very accessible style. Each chapter contains it's own story so you can read it either straight through or over a period of time.

The first chapter deals with the 896 trial of the corpse of a former Pope by the Pope that replaced him. This is clearly one of the odder happenings in history.

There is one chapter on the "filibusters" which were small bands of heavily armed men whose goal was to overthrow Latin American governments and turn them into puppet states. The most "successful" of these was William Walker who ruled Nicaragua for part of 1856.

Other stories include: When China Ruled the Wave, Guano: How the world was changed by bird droppings, the Russian discovery of America and the Nazi's quest to find true origins of the Aryan race in Tibet.

It's an enjoyable and enlightening read.

[David Vernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly readable book written by someone with a clear understanding of how history consists of more than Kings, Queens dates and wars. Joseph Cummins has plucked from obscurity many fascinating tales in world history and shown how they have changed the world.

His writing style is accessible, entertaining and at times his views challenge us. I am keen to read more of his work since reading this book.

[Arthur Cravan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly I read this book some years ago, but at the time I found most of the stories quite interesting & even hold on to a few to this day as stories to tell others when such an act is called for. Maybe I'd have been better off studying more mainstream history (which typically in this field actually does mean more important, I assume), but this is an easy, well-presented read for most ages.

[Justin Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of stories in there I have never heard or had the change to get up to in High School history classes. I think all told I have really only heard of one of the people I read about in the book, which made it a good book to read before bedtime.

[Miguel Ángel Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro presenta hechos o biografías poco conocidos de la Historia y los cuenta de forma amena, resaltando a la vez su importancia histórica. La mayoría de las historias están realmente bien seleccionadas.

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some light reading for a history buff! Hardly serious history, but an interesting survey of historical obscurities.

[Damián · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente. Relatos de hechos históricos poco conocidos pero que forman parte del la situación actual del mundo.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find this book as interesting as I thought it would be.

Maybe there's a reason why they are "Untold" stories.

[Alyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this a while ago. I should read more history books, because I loved learning about all the different events that happened.

[Magpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penny 2014