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A Left-Handed History of the World
Julius Caesar and Isaac Newton were left-handed. So are Paul McCartney and Bill Gates. Intriguingly, a disproportionate number of U.S. presidents have also been lefties.
Why is it that such a high number of left-handed people feature in influential moments throughout history? Through fascinating case studies of notables from ancient to modern times, Ed Wright explains the secret of lefty success. Psychology meets history in this enlightening and entertaining look behind being left-handed and its effects on our world.
The list of successful and influential people of the 'sinister nation' -- from Alexander the Great to Joan of Arc, Henry Ford to Jimi Hendrix -- will wow both left- and right-handers. Exploring the defining character traits of these and other famous lefties, we discover how much the world has gained from those who look at life from the other side.
Why is it that such a high number of left-handed people feature in influential moments throughout history? Through fascinating case studies of notables from ancient to modern times, Ed Wright explains the secret of lefty success. Psychology meets history in this enlightening and entertaining look behind being left-handed and its effects on our world.
The list of successful and influential people of the 'sinister nation' -- from Alexander the Great to Joan of Arc, Henry Ford to Jimi Hendrix -- will wow both left- and right-handers. Exploring the defining character traits of these and other famous lefties, we discover how much the world has gained from those who look at life from the other side.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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November 26, 2020A neat tour of staggeringly influential people through history that happened to be left-handed. Much like reading a series of wiki articles, filtered for the left-handed. Yes, quite fascinating that so many influencers were left-handed.
However, the campaign to assert that all these famous people shared a series of traits that are characteristic of left-handed people, through relentless repetition, was tiresome. There's no call to insert the word "lefty" at any opportunity to use an adjective, like eight times on a single page, four times in one paragraph (I counted). I was completely sick of the leftyleftylefty emphasis by Napoleon.
However, the campaign to assert that all these famous people shared a series of traits that are characteristic of left-handed people, through relentless repetition, was tiresome. There's no call to insert the word "lefty" at any opportunity to use an adjective, like eight times on a single page, four times in one paragraph (I counted). I was completely sick of the leftyleftylefty emphasis by Napoleon.
September 22, 2016
The premise of this book is flawed. I'm a left-handed person and this book was gifted to me. It recounts brief biographies of left-handed individuals throughout history. However, instead of simply recounting the lives of a strange subset of people the author claims that there are special traits left-handed individuals are blessed with which makes them peculiarly more likely to be great leaders, generals and innovators.
I don't have much criticism of the biographies. They are fairly brief and simple, but otherwise fine. The book becomes tedious in the effort to link together these men and women and ascribe their success to the fact that they are part of the 10% of the population who are left-handed. As I read the book I was increasingly aware of the central flaw. The book could have easily been about great people who were short or had blue eyes. Certainly you could look at any group of find common traits. And what of all the great men and women who were right-handed or the lefties who never amounted to anything extraordinary?
I'd recommend passing on this one.
I don't have much criticism of the biographies. They are fairly brief and simple, but otherwise fine. The book becomes tedious in the effort to link together these men and women and ascribe their success to the fact that they are part of the 10% of the population who are left-handed. As I read the book I was increasingly aware of the central flaw. The book could have easily been about great people who were short or had blue eyes. Certainly you could look at any group of find common traits. And what of all the great men and women who were right-handed or the lefties who never amounted to anything extraordinary?
I'd recommend passing on this one.
March 14, 2018
At last, a tribe that I can fit into perfectly.
August 22, 2011
The majority of this book offered some interesting and valuable information. Unfortunately, I think that the analysis of the qualities of left-handed people was hilariously ridiculous. I would, however, recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, as long as they ignore the comments on the people's "left-handed qualities."
I also love the irony that the author's name is Wright.
I also love the irony that the author's name is Wright.
April 7, 2015
The "science" and analysis was seriously lacking, but it was a fun read anyway. Cool to get a brief biography of impressive lefties from history.
June 21, 2015
As a lefty myself I was drawn to this book, but ended up a little disappointed. At the very beginning I was already questioning some of the assertions being made about left handedness. The author, Ed Wright, listed ten traits common to left handers. Although he admitted that not every individual necessarily had them all, I could only find one that applied to me. I believe I am probably better than average in art. On the other hand math was never my strong subject even though Wright asserts that the left hander’s dominance on the right side of the brain gives lefty’s a special gift for mathematics. Some other traits were hot-tempered, iconoclastic and experimental.
The first person covered was Ramses the Great who ascended Egypt’s throne in 1279 B.C. I have always been interested in ancient Egypt, but never knew Ramses II was left handed. I wanted to know how we knew this. Did it come from a hieroglyphic inscription? Was it a deduction made from a wall painting showing Ramses holding a weapon in his left hand? (If so, this would be like claiming that the first man was left handed because in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel painting, Adam extends his left hand to touch the finger of God.) Or, was it based on Ramses possessing certain traits common to left handers such as lateral thinking, hot-tempered, iconoclastic and experimental?
It was interesting to see how many famous people were left handed, but the short biographies highlighting their lives and accomplishments could be found in any encyclopedia. For me the book was a quick read mainly because I started to skim. I did take time to read the Lefty Links columns. These often contained interesting facts and trivia.
Occasionally the author got something wrong. In one of the Lefty Links he wrote that among famous left handed politicians in other countries was “India’s founding President Mahatma Gandhi.” (Gandhi was never president.) Other times the author seemed to be making a stretch in his attempt to attribute various left handed traits (or stereotypes?) to the people featured in his book . For example, Bill Clinton’s smoking pot (but not inhaling) was called “experimental,” and Ronald Reagan as the first president to be divorced as “iconoclastic.”
The first person covered was Ramses the Great who ascended Egypt’s throne in 1279 B.C. I have always been interested in ancient Egypt, but never knew Ramses II was left handed. I wanted to know how we knew this. Did it come from a hieroglyphic inscription? Was it a deduction made from a wall painting showing Ramses holding a weapon in his left hand? (If so, this would be like claiming that the first man was left handed because in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel painting, Adam extends his left hand to touch the finger of God.) Or, was it based on Ramses possessing certain traits common to left handers such as lateral thinking, hot-tempered, iconoclastic and experimental?
It was interesting to see how many famous people were left handed, but the short biographies highlighting their lives and accomplishments could be found in any encyclopedia. For me the book was a quick read mainly because I started to skim. I did take time to read the Lefty Links columns. These often contained interesting facts and trivia.
Occasionally the author got something wrong. In one of the Lefty Links he wrote that among famous left handed politicians in other countries was “India’s founding President Mahatma Gandhi.” (Gandhi was never president.) Other times the author seemed to be making a stretch in his attempt to attribute various left handed traits (or stereotypes?) to the people featured in his book . For example, Bill Clinton’s smoking pot (but not inhaling) was called “experimental,” and Ronald Reagan as the first president to be divorced as “iconoclastic.”
January 8, 2014
This was an interesting read, from the short biographies, to the left-handed tendencies. The persecution is a particularly interesting aspect of left-handedness, especially to those of us who have lived it. Many positives come through adversity, and this book is a celebration of that fact.
May 9, 2017
Of course I liked it, I'm lefthanded.
June 14, 2024
When I was a callow youth, a good 45 years ago, I would have loved this book. I firmly believed all of the stereotypes it propagates regarding the exceptionalism and talent of left-handed people. As I've become more experienced in how the world works, I've realized that most of that is seriously overplayed; yes, there have been many exceptional left-handers in the history of the world, but of course, there have ALSO been many exceptional right-handers. This book cherry-picks its subjects and lists a large number of truly exceptional individuals; I could, I'm sure, with very little effort list and even larger number of exceptional right-handed individuals, and I could doubtless cherry-pick the details of their lives to make them seem to fit the "left handed traits" Wright claims for his subjects. And this isn't even addressing the fact that it's not so easy to define who is left-handed and who is right-handed; I personally write and eat with my left hand, and would shoot pool or a bow left-handed, but I am right-handed by nature (not by having been forced) in almost all other athletic endeavors, including juggling. And I am certainly not the only person with some such mixture in their handedness; I would doubtless be considered "left-handed" by the writer of this book, but I would have to argue with that assessment to at least some degree. And if I am, I have SOME of the "left-handed traits" that he trumpets; I am fluent with language and with Mathematics, and have some minor abilities in the creative realm, but I have virtually no visual/spacial talent, and I can generally control my temper (although I do have one). I suspect that most if not all of his "left-hander's traits" are simply traits that would be shared by most people who have succeeded in making a large mark on the world.
I give this book 3 stars in spite of being unimpressed by its basic premise, because it DOES provide interesting biographical sketches of a number of fascinating individuals, and it's reasonably well-written (although on page 184, when discussing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record that stood for many years, it says that his record was for 61 homers in a season, when in fact it was 60; 61 was the number hit by Roger Maris when he broke Ruth's record. And on page 226, he says that "Since there are less lefties..." when the word he should be using is "fewer". In his bio of President Obama, he frequently refers to "Democrat politics" and "Democrat seats" when he should be using the term "Democratic", and in general that bio seemed awkwardly written' perhaps it was a bit rushed in order to get it into the book before deadline. There are a few other similarly minor sloppinesses to be found; "...Harnessed to a (rather than an) ethic of fairness..." on page 132, and "...the Hittites believed that the extradition treaty should be retrospective..." rather than "retroactive" on page 20 but overall, the quality of the writing isn't bad.) The author tells his stories well, so I can't justify totally panning the book.
I give this book 3 stars in spite of being unimpressed by its basic premise, because it DOES provide interesting biographical sketches of a number of fascinating individuals, and it's reasonably well-written (although on page 184, when discussing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record that stood for many years, it says that his record was for 61 homers in a season, when in fact it was 60; 61 was the number hit by Roger Maris when he broke Ruth's record. And on page 226, he says that "Since there are less lefties..." when the word he should be using is "fewer". In his bio of President Obama, he frequently refers to "Democrat politics" and "Democrat seats" when he should be using the term "Democratic", and in general that bio seemed awkwardly written' perhaps it was a bit rushed in order to get it into the book before deadline. There are a few other similarly minor sloppinesses to be found; "...Harnessed to a (rather than an) ethic of fairness..." on page 132, and "...the Hittites believed that the extradition treaty should be retrospective..." rather than "retroactive" on page 20 but overall, the quality of the writing isn't bad.) The author tells his stories well, so I can't justify totally panning the book.
June 8, 2020
Like a quick read through Wiki articles of influential left handers. Additional detail that perhaps could have filled out the micro biographies got lost or left out in favor of the redundant descriptions of why a lefty is geared the way they are. In. Every. Biography. This, I feel was adequately covered in the opening pages but unfortunately got flogged in nearly every page.
June 4, 2025
Various world settings. 256 pp. Initial impression: I'm two chapters in. The thing I'm finding annoying are the generalizations made about left handers. It smacks of applying certain coincidental traits with various astrological signs. Other than that, the biographical sketches are interesting. It seems that many of these people are the products of tumultuous childhoods (death of parents, etc>0; how much does that figure into the adaptability that contributed to these people's greatness?
Found online at https://archive.org/details/lefthande...
A Left-Handed History of the World by Ed Wright
"The CD was originally designed to hold 74 minutes of music because that was the length of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony." https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rol...
Found online at https://archive.org/details/lefthande...
A Left-Handed History of the World by Ed Wright
"The CD was originally designed to hold 74 minutes of music because that was the length of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony." https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rol...
March 31, 2018
A combination of history & biography, the author defines "traits" of left-handers and applies them to noted names in history, discussing how these "traits" contributed to the "greatness" of these notable. A very interesting read!
December 22, 2017
Great insight into how s lefties can be sinister and great at the same time.
August 14, 2015
I have been waiting for
International Lefthanders Day
just for the chance to review this one book.
I belong to a minority group, one that has long been unfairly subjected to prejudice on the basis of our shared innate difference and that has only recently been freed from this prejudice. I speak, of course, of left-handers , amounting to between 7 and 10% of the human population. There's nothing sinister about being left-handed, I've joked, yet for millennia there has been much prejudice, much hindrance. Were I born a generation earlier, I might have gotten off lightly by being forced to write with my right hand. Researches on handedness don't reveal any outstanding reason for this prejudice: Perhaps left-handers in the aggregate exhibit greater aptitudes for language or math or spatial relations, certainly left-handers are more likely than right-handers to be non-heterosexual, but nothing outstanding appears to justify this prejudice. Only a patchwork of biographies to testifies to the past.
Australian writer Ed Wright 's 2007 A Left-Handed History of the World (Pier 9) deals successfully enough with this gap, assembling short biographies of prominent left-handers through history from Ramses the Great to the current crop of American presidents . (Barack Obama, I was pleased to learn, is one of my kind.) The left-handed content of I>A Left-Handed History of the World comes with the sidebars to the individual biographies, exploring the extent to which traits associated with left-handed people manifested in the lives of individuals profiles. We are, apparently, great conquerors, and experimenters, and good at seeing the world in new ways.
This was a fun book, all said. Recommended.
(See also this note from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.)
I belong to a minority group, one that has long been unfairly subjected to prejudice on the basis of our shared innate difference and that has only recently been freed from this prejudice. I speak, of course, of left-handers , amounting to between 7 and 10% of the human population. There's nothing sinister about being left-handed, I've joked, yet for millennia there has been much prejudice, much hindrance. Were I born a generation earlier, I might have gotten off lightly by being forced to write with my right hand. Researches on handedness don't reveal any outstanding reason for this prejudice: Perhaps left-handers in the aggregate exhibit greater aptitudes for language or math or spatial relations, certainly left-handers are more likely than right-handers to be non-heterosexual, but nothing outstanding appears to justify this prejudice. Only a patchwork of biographies to testifies to the past.
Australian writer Ed Wright 's 2007 A Left-Handed History of the World (Pier 9) deals successfully enough with this gap, assembling short biographies of prominent left-handers through history from Ramses the Great to the current crop of American presidents . (Barack Obama, I was pleased to learn, is one of my kind.) The left-handed content of I>A Left-Handed History of the World comes with the sidebars to the individual biographies, exploring the extent to which traits associated with left-handed people manifested in the lives of individuals profiles. We are, apparently, great conquerors, and experimenters, and good at seeing the world in new ways.
This was a fun book, all said. Recommended.
(See also this note from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.)
April 23, 2011
According to this, being left-handed, I should be brilliant, good at the concrete (no, I'm a grad student in english) and slightly wonky mentally (well, got THAT right). It's entertaining but should not be taken too seriously I think. A lot of the argument "iconoclastic etc" seems silly. The analysis of Nietszche is a bit lame -- why did Ed Wright write this again (because he's left handed? is he?). I would expect someone with a phd in american literature to be more sophisticated th... (show more)
According to this, being left-handed, I should be brilliant, good at the concrete (no, I'm a grad student in english) and slightly wonky mentally (well, got THAT right). It's entertaining but should not be taken too seriously I think. A lot of the argument "iconoclastic etc" seems silly. The analysis of Nietszche is a bit lame -- why did Ed Wright write this again (because he's left handed? is he?). I would expect someone with a phd in american literature to be more sophisticated theoretically. On the other hand, it is FUN -- and perhaps that's all he meant it to be. I bet there are just as many brilliant right-handed people though. *rolls eyes*
According to this, being left-handed, I should be brilliant, good at the concrete (no, I'm a grad student in english) and slightly wonky mentally (well, got THAT right). It's entertaining but should not be taken too seriously I think. A lot of the argument "iconoclastic etc" seems silly. The analysis of Nietszche is a bit lame -- why did Ed Wright write this again (because he's left handed? is he?). I would expect someone with a phd in american literature to be more sophisticated theoretically. On the other hand, it is FUN -- and perhaps that's all he meant it to be. I bet there are just as many brilliant right-handed people though. *rolls eyes*
January 24, 2009
This book somewhat fueled my ego. Telling me all the wondrous things about left handers and how the world is against us!
Altough, it did seem like a kind of sulk in places like how we can't use right handed scissors and everything is right oriented and etc. etc. That I didn't like so much.
I did like the link behind how the brain works with the leftness (or rightness) of the body and how that makes us lefties geniuses (heh, kidding... kinda) but it didn't really go into any of the bad stuff... it hinted at the high number of left handers in prison but never went into the reasons why we're all rebels... Other than that the world is against us of course.
Altough, it did seem like a kind of sulk in places like how we can't use right handed scissors and everything is right oriented and etc. etc. That I didn't like so much.
I did like the link behind how the brain works with the leftness (or rightness) of the body and how that makes us lefties geniuses (heh, kidding... kinda) but it didn't really go into any of the bad stuff... it hinted at the high number of left handers in prison but never went into the reasons why we're all rebels... Other than that the world is against us of course.
July 11, 2013
Quite entertaining, especially if you are a lefty! The author analyses the lives and decisions of left-handers through history, emphasizing the differences in intuition, visual-spatial ability, lateral thinking, and iconoclasm between them and the dominant right-handedness of culture through time.
The list of lefties studied is staggering - Alexander, Caesar, Michelangelo, Newton, Raphael, Da Vinci, Bonaparte, Beethoven, Twain, Ford, Curie, Gandhi, Chaplin, Ruth, Turing, Hendrix, Gates, Clinton, Obama - as is their collective influence on the forward momentum of human thought and history.
An engaging read.
The list of lefties studied is staggering - Alexander, Caesar, Michelangelo, Newton, Raphael, Da Vinci, Bonaparte, Beethoven, Twain, Ford, Curie, Gandhi, Chaplin, Ruth, Turing, Hendrix, Gates, Clinton, Obama - as is their collective influence on the forward momentum of human thought and history.
An engaging read.
March 28, 2015
As a lefty, I found the propaganda in "A Left-Handed History of the World" very interesting, and the diverse range of historical snippets were often good. Obviously, I found some (Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Babe Ruth) more interesting than others (Joan of Arc, Frederich Nietsche, Jimi Hendrix). However, I admit that the "lefty explanations" of why they accomplished what they did is a stretch. While being left-handed probably did influence these individuals personalities, that isn't truly what made them into great conquerors or mathematicians or musicians, since there are plenty of right-handers with the same accomplishments.
February 15, 2009
This is a mildly entertaining series of potted histories of famous left-handers, or alleged lefthanders, beginning with Leonardo and Michelangelo, and going all the way up to Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney. The problem is that after several of the brief biographies, the stories all begin to sound alike. Lefties are tempestuous, contrary, and creative. They think laterally, where the rest of the world thinks, you know, inside the box. Cliches abound and I was in serious danger of believing that Queen Victoria and Paul McCartney were one and the same, so similar were their bios.
March 31, 2010
Really fascinating! So compelling recognizing the similarities of lefties, including our propensity for vegeterianism (and mental illness) to list a few. Following it's persecution over the centuries makes me realize how fortunate I am that I was never "tied down" and forced to write right-handed like my Mother or other family members. There have been some remarkable, extraordinary lefties in the world!
February 14, 2014
Definitely an interesting perspective on lefty traits. I think much of my connection to historical figures in this book is much like the irony you find in a well written fortune cookie, sometimes you reach a little to make it more relevant. As a lefty, I feel a little more comfort in the fact that I'm predisposed to mental illness. That's a relief, I thought for a minute there I was just going crazy.
April 10, 2009
This book is fascinating but it can get a bit dry if you read it for a while. It is also thick and heavy so it's one of those books you would take to the beach! There are little "chapters" about 3-5 pages about someone famous in history (starting with Ramses the Great). I generally read 1 "chapter" and after that it starts getting tedious.
November 28, 2011
I usually don't read books like this,so when I got it for Christmas a while ago I didn't think I would read it. When I finally started looking through it I was surprised by how many amazing people I share this specific trait with. Some of the analysis about lefty characteristics are a bit out there but it was still a pretty interesting read.
October 12, 2012
Very interesting book about influential individuals throughout history, that also happened to be left handed! Great book if you are left handed, because it gives a load of information about left handed tendencies, and you might find many similarities. Even if you are not left handed, this book is a really good read, and features beautiful photos. A great read.
April 22, 2013
Of course I had to check this out, as I'm left handed. I spent a lovely weekend browsing this series of short biographies of famous Lefties. Interesting that we have an advantage in baseball and tennis and are more adaptable. Also interesting that we are more likely to have mental illnesses.
A fun read as long as you don't take it too seriously.
A fun read as long as you don't take it too seriously.
December 3, 2013
This book should be placed on History shelf, not Psychology. It talks about many left-handed people in history and their common points, such as hot-tempered, excellent talent in mathematics, eccentric personality. This is a nice theme, but unfortunately the psychology aspect of being left-handed is a bit lacking in my humble opinion. Still, it is a good collection of short biographies :)
November 7, 2011
LEFTIES UNITE! This is the book for me. :) There were some very interesting facts and stories about many "greats" from history. I enjoyed the different traits that lefties could have: empathetic, hot-tempered, fantasist, etc. (apparently, I have some of these traits too). This was a fun read!
December 16, 2008
Eh. It's basically a brief introduction to famous lefties. Mozart. Beethoven. Queen Victoria. Chaplin. Napoleon. Ramses II. Nothing spectacular. Fun, Easy read.
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January 2, 2011Finally a book that truly tells it like it is.
March 3, 2011
Interesting so far!
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