The World Explained in 264 Infographics

by Jan Schwochow

The world is connected more than ever, with news and other information continuously flowing in via phones, computers, TVs, and radios. People don't have the time or energy to sift through all the data. That's where infographics come in. While the idea of illustrating facts and figures has been around for centuries, it is only recently, with the introduction of the internet, that infographics have really taken off as a medium to convey all types of information.

This book shows how versatile infographics are. Illustrating topics such as history, economics, sports, music, art, science, and culture, these charts are designed to be easy to understand, thought-provoking, and elegant. The World Explained in 264 Infographics covers such things as the evolution of electric vehicles from a tricycle to a Tesla Model 3, how supermarkets trick buyers into buying more food than they need, and how much work goes into creating a video game. By condensing and illustrating facts, infographics tell stories for everyone.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

568 pages, Hardcover

Published April 27, 2021

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is gigantic all-around. Its dimensions are that of a coffee-table book, while it's also very thick and heavy. As for content, the pages are gorgeously illustrated (and the large size makes them even more eye-catching), but in communicating information they often fail. This book is extremely dense with information that's then been stuffed into overly elaborate, very busy charts—the busiest I've ever seen. Sadly, there was no making sense of so many of these.

Chapters cover various heavy topics, such as history, transportation, and population but needed to be balanced with many more light infographics. Focus is international, but with a special focus on Germany, something I wasn't expecting and that, as a non-German, I couldn't fully appreciate.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a kid, I was fascinated by the picture book Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum. It follows the Muppet’s misadventures through a museum that literally has everything in the whole wide world, sorted into thematic galleries. My favorite was the Things That Can Make You Fall Hall.

The World Explained in 264 Infographics is an adult version of the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum, and it’s nearly museum-sized: you’ll need to reinforce your coffee table for this thick slab of visual information, its page edges attractively color-coded by category (history, politics, society, economy, sports, technology, culture & arts, science).

I reviewed The World Explained in 264 Infographics for The Tangential.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed, ended up returning my copy. Beautiful illustrations but the scope was scattered and overly expansive on some topics and completely failed to address countless others. Essentially nothing about WW2 for example. There also seemed to be a bizarre focus on all things German. For a book professing to explain the world...leaves much to be desired.

[spike marlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, but a book to be read in parts as the desire to do so comes to you.

Chocks-a-block with info graphics Freon works history to social science to science, and politics it tackles a lot of varied subjects.

It is well with the time to browse through and enjoy the colourful way that information can be given withe use of as few words as possible.

[Kiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is MASSIVE but beautifully illustrated. Well worth the impulse buy at an aquarium gift shop.