History's Timeline: A 40,000 Year Chronology of Civilization

by Jean Cooke, Ann Kramer, Theodore Rowland-Entwistle

Surveys the development of civilization and lists the dates for the major events in world history from the last ice age up to 1980.

Genres: History, Reference, Nonfiction, World History, Archaeology, Historical

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Jim]

A good detailed chronology of history taking us from 40,000 B.C., the time of the Last Ice Age, to the Space Shuttle disaster of 1986. As I expected, this book published in Great Britain, is Eurocentric. The chapters are titled "Early Civilizations," "The Classical World," "The Middle Ages," "The Renaissance," etc., relating mainly to European history. However, I was happy to see the history of Asia, Africa, and the Americas included. A lot of topics are covered in the text, such as: The Shang Dynasty, Cleopatra, The Gupta Dynasty, Ancient Ghana, Henry the Navigator, Japan in Isolation, Sir Isaac Newton (but not Darwin), The Industrial Revolution, The Scramble for Africa, and The Space Race. All the major wars of Western history are covered but there could have been more on the development of science and technology-and also more highlights on the arts and philosophy.
I enjoyed the book, having picked it up at a library sale, and will pass it on to a neighbor's son, who is in elementary school and who is interested in history. But, as it only goes up to the 80s, it would be better, especially for a young student of history, to find a more recent book that takes us into the 21st Century, covering the AIDS epidemic, the end of the Cold War, and 9/11 and also such persons as Mandela, Obama, Putin, and Trump. I also think the role of women and the feminist movement could be much more highlighted (as well as the environmentalist movement and the gay liberation struggle).

[Joann]

It' a quick reference guide for historical dates and a brief (very brief) synopsis of events. I'm sure there are better books that do this job, but this one on a handy shelf and it's there when I need it.

[John Ryan]

Choppy, poorly written book providing a chronological review of major world affairs from early civilization to the 1970’s. The book centers far more on Europe and Americas at the expense of Asia and Africa.

Short historic reviews are listed next to timelines. While it covers most major events, it lacks a more comprehensive view of the world that hints at racism by what is missed. It also highlights the 20th century in more details than other parts of our world history although nearly anyone reading this book probably has a good grasp on more recent history.

There are some reference tables that are good, including a listing of major wars and major battles. The reference pages also include a weird listing of world rulers that only roman emperors and British rulers, U.S. Presidents and Rulers of France; evidently the authors feel that world leaders need to be white. The book misses any level of sexism or racism in our history. Plus, the book entirely misses what life was like for common people during nearly any of this book.

There is considerable good information packed into this book, but the omissions would signal those other comprehensive books be more meaningful to read.

[Joanne]

A great reference book! Great to have on a shelf for kids to maybe someday look at. Nicely made, good glossy paper and quality photos with a breakdown of, well, the history of the earth in a fairly concise and inclusive manner.

[Ostap Bender]

It's not going to blow anyone's socks off, but it was a nice little reference with illustrations and timelines that I used in my high school years.

[T SP]

While the bite-sized chunks are fun, some errors and an egregiously-Eurocentric table of contents detract from overall quality.

[Miriam]

Good for a quick reference book.

[Steve Altman]

cool overview of historical timelines and how things link up. also covers asia and latin america