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The Cartoon History of the Universe #1
The Cartoon History of the Universe I, Vol. 1-7: From the Big Bang to Alexander the Great
An entertaining and informative illustrated guide that makes world history accessible, appealing, and funny.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 1990
234 people are currently reading
3215 people want to read
About the author
Larry Gonick
43 books293 followersLarry Gonick (born 1946) is a cartoonist best known for The Cartoon History of the Universe, a history of the world in comic book form, which he has been publishing in installments since 1977. He has also written The Cartoon History of the United States, and he has adapted the format for a series of co-written guidebooks on other subjects, beginning with The Cartoon Guide to Genetics in 1983. The diversity of his interests, and the success with which his books have met, have together earned Gonick the distinction of being "the most well-known and respected of cartoonists who have applied their craft to unravelling the mysteries of science" (Drug Discovery Today, March 2005).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 288 reviews
November 1, 2009
This is a really fun—and actually quite comprehensive—historical overview. It's very handy as sort of a quick-reference guide and/or as a supplemental companion to the reading of primary source history texts. (I found it to be fabulously helpful along these lines with respect to Herodotus.)
A couple of disclaimers, primarily applicable to younger readers:
First off, the subject of sex is treated with direct frankness throughout. (This shouldn't be a problem, really. Gonick's emphasis on sex is roughly equivalent to the emphasis given in the primary source texts with which he is dealing, the biblical texts certainly being no exception.)
And speaking of the Bible, that brings up the second yellow flag. Gonick is a big-time skeptic and antagonist of the Bible and the Christian Faith. The good news, however, is that his skepticism typically amounts to the rather facile type of junior-highesque nay-saying that can be answered fairly easily. To provide one example, his treatment of the episode between Elijah and the priests of Baal is all "Oh sure. The 'water' that Elijah had dumped on the sacrifice was probably some kind of oil, to which he stealthily lit a match. Besides, there was a three year drought going on, so where did he get all that water anyway?". To which the reply is "Well, actually, Mount Carmel is right next to the sea, which, even during the most prolonged drought would have no shortage of water which, though undrinkable, would nonetheless have sufficed for Elijah's purposes well enough."
At any rate, I find it pretty easy to overlook his skeptical handling of biblical history given the fact that he nonetheless treats it, more-or-less at least, as history, (just as he also does, incidentally, with some of the mythologies of Greece and of the other cultures represented). Ironically enough, this is a refreshing approach that I think a few Christian colleges and universities could take a cue from.
A couple of disclaimers, primarily applicable to younger readers:
First off, the subject of sex is treated with direct frankness throughout. (This shouldn't be a problem, really. Gonick's emphasis on sex is roughly equivalent to the emphasis given in the primary source texts with which he is dealing, the biblical texts certainly being no exception.)
And speaking of the Bible, that brings up the second yellow flag. Gonick is a big-time skeptic and antagonist of the Bible and the Christian Faith. The good news, however, is that his skepticism typically amounts to the rather facile type of junior-highesque nay-saying that can be answered fairly easily. To provide one example, his treatment of the episode between Elijah and the priests of Baal is all "Oh sure. The 'water' that Elijah had dumped on the sacrifice was probably some kind of oil, to which he stealthily lit a match. Besides, there was a three year drought going on, so where did he get all that water anyway?". To which the reply is "Well, actually, Mount Carmel is right next to the sea, which, even during the most prolonged drought would have no shortage of water which, though undrinkable, would nonetheless have sufficed for Elijah's purposes well enough."
At any rate, I find it pretty easy to overlook his skeptical handling of biblical history given the fact that he nonetheless treats it, more-or-less at least, as history, (just as he also does, incidentally, with some of the mythologies of Greece and of the other cultures represented). Ironically enough, this is a refreshing approach that I think a few Christian colleges and universities could take a cue from.
July 16, 2008
jalan ceritanya kayaknya dah lupa deh *garuk garuk*
tapi yang inget buku ini bikin gw cekikikan
malah ingetnya kejadian beli bukunya di BBC palasari. gak niat beli, gw niat beli buku lain. pas iseng2 ngeliat, buku ini ada yang sampulnya dah dibuka. iseng baca, eh.. malah asik sendiri cekikikan. cuman repotnya toko bukunya sempit dan lorong2nya cuman muat buat satu orang. alhasil tiap 3-5 menit gw musti nempelin bodi ke tembok sambil nahan napas (ada orang lewat!) blom lagi pelayan tokonya yang kadang2 memberikan tatapan aneh (keseringan cekikikan sendiri). setengah jam lewat dah nebeng baca sepertiganya. lama2 jengkel juga banyak orang yang lewat ama kaki udah pegel plus keseringan nahan napas ngempesin en nempelin perut ke tembok (bodi gw ternyata "menyulitkan" orang yang pengen lewat, hehehe). ambil yang masih disegel, bayar, trus pulang. pas nyampe rumah baru inget kalo buku yang gw incer lupa dibeli. sebodo ah...
tapi yang inget buku ini bikin gw cekikikan
malah ingetnya kejadian beli bukunya di BBC palasari. gak niat beli, gw niat beli buku lain. pas iseng2 ngeliat, buku ini ada yang sampulnya dah dibuka. iseng baca, eh.. malah asik sendiri cekikikan. cuman repotnya toko bukunya sempit dan lorong2nya cuman muat buat satu orang. alhasil tiap 3-5 menit gw musti nempelin bodi ke tembok sambil nahan napas (ada orang lewat!) blom lagi pelayan tokonya yang kadang2 memberikan tatapan aneh (keseringan cekikikan sendiri). setengah jam lewat dah nebeng baca sepertiganya. lama2 jengkel juga banyak orang yang lewat ama kaki udah pegel plus keseringan nahan napas ngempesin en nempelin perut ke tembok (bodi gw ternyata "menyulitkan" orang yang pengen lewat, hehehe). ambil yang masih disegel, bayar, trus pulang. pas nyampe rumah baru inget kalo buku yang gw incer lupa dibeli. sebodo ah...
October 21, 2021
Buku yg bagus dan sangat kocak sarkastiknya 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Dimulai dari Big Bang Theory, lanjut evolusi hingga dinosaurus 🦖🦕 Masuk logika sih saat makhluk ini menguasai dunia dan kenapa mrk punah (salah mrk krn kegendutan dan balik jalan dgn 4 kaki. Jadi ingat buku "Animal Farms"nya George Orwell bhw yg menguasai dunia adalah yg berjalan dgn 2 kaki).
Lalu mulailah primata cikal bakal nenek moyang kita dibahas (sumpeh banyak ngakak di bagian ini 🤣🤣🤣). Hingga Homo Sapiens, genus kita.
Lalu peradaban manusia dimulai, dari Sumeria, Mesir hingga Yunani Kuno dibahas lengkap disini sejarahnya. Tapi berakhir di kisah singkat penaklukkan oleh Alexander Agung. Duh pengen lanjut baca buku lanjutannya, tapi sayang belum punya 🤭
Dimulai dari Big Bang Theory, lanjut evolusi hingga dinosaurus 🦖🦕 Masuk logika sih saat makhluk ini menguasai dunia dan kenapa mrk punah (salah mrk krn kegendutan dan balik jalan dgn 4 kaki. Jadi ingat buku "Animal Farms"nya George Orwell bhw yg menguasai dunia adalah yg berjalan dgn 2 kaki).
Lalu mulailah primata cikal bakal nenek moyang kita dibahas (sumpeh banyak ngakak di bagian ini 🤣🤣🤣). Hingga Homo Sapiens, genus kita.
Lalu peradaban manusia dimulai, dari Sumeria, Mesir hingga Yunani Kuno dibahas lengkap disini sejarahnya. Tapi berakhir di kisah singkat penaklukkan oleh Alexander Agung. Duh pengen lanjut baca buku lanjutannya, tapi sayang belum punya 🤭
September 5, 2007
Great epic view of history, with lots of synthesis between events/movements occurring concurrent in different parts of the world. This volume covered many time periods I already knew a great deal about -- Greek & Roman empires; the Biblical era -- but there were still many nuggets of history that were completely new to me. The history of Mesopotamia, for example, when contrasted with what the Bible said had occurred, was fascinating. The strangeness of Egyptian history. The many humorous footnotes. A good intro to history, and one that can spark interest in the source material.
March 29, 2024
A collection of individual comic books by historian / mathematician Larry Gonick. Humor and researchable facts come together in stories of early societies. I've skimmed these in the past, and it is now time to sit down and read cover-to-cover. So far, worth the trip!
Each section starts with the framing device of a literary time machine. Just reading books about the past take the professor there - wouldn't that be fun! Fortunately in the early days of our solar system and planet, breathable air is also provided :) Not long after, the books work with people groups. Quirky histories are distilled from the many primary sources, quoted at the end of the book with a short professor's commentary on each. E.g. "Social evolution by V. Gordon Childe - tackles questions other archaeologists ignore"
I remember seeing individual comics in stores, and then trade paperbacks of collected works. This is a much larger collection (7 volumes) from 1980. It is followed by more volumes of history, then modern history, and adjacent topics from science and mathematics. I'll definitely read more of these in the future!
Each section starts with the framing device of a literary time machine. Just reading books about the past take the professor there - wouldn't that be fun! Fortunately in the early days of our solar system and planet, breathable air is also provided :) Not long after, the books work with people groups. Quirky histories are distilled from the many primary sources, quoted at the end of the book with a short professor's commentary on each. E.g. "Social evolution by V. Gordon Childe - tackles questions other archaeologists ignore"
I remember seeing individual comics in stores, and then trade paperbacks of collected works. This is a much larger collection (7 volumes) from 1980. It is followed by more volumes of history, then modern history, and adjacent topics from science and mathematics. I'll definitely read more of these in the future!
May 6, 2020
Мені вже встигла полюбитися серія Наука в коміксах. І от перший том Всесвітньої історії від Ларрі Гоніка не є винятком.
Цей комікс дещо товстіший від попередніх. І не дивно, бо на 368 сторінках автор помістив історію від виникнення всесвіту і до Александра Македонського в Індії. І мені тільки шкода, що я не маю другого тому, бо історія обірвалася на найцікавішому місці.
Найбільший плюс книги в тому, що все подано з гумором та дрібкою іронії. Читати було пізнавально та дотепно.
А загалом хочу порекомендувати цю книгу школярам, яким на уроках історії нудно, та дорослим, які хочуть згадати, з кого ж все-таки розпочався рід людський.
Цей комікс дещо товстіший від попередніх. І не дивно, бо на 368 сторінках автор помістив історію від виникнення всесвіту і до Александра Македонського в Індії. І мені тільки шкода, що я не маю другого тому, бо історія обірвалася на найцікавішому місці.
Найбільший плюс книги в тому, що все подано з гумором та дрібкою іронії. Читати було пізнавально та дотепно.
А загалом хочу порекомендувати цю книгу школярам, яким на уроках історії нудно, та дорослим, які хочуть згадати, з кого ж все-таки розпочався рід людський.
December 31, 2018
I read this book because I needed to finish my 2018 reading challenge. I. Had no idea I'd be so entertained. It covers a lot and still manages a level of brevity missing from every other history book. It offers a varied look at our shared history.
July 14, 2019
Akhirnya....setelah berminggu2 berjuang membaca pas kena reading slump😩👌
Buku ini yang paling berkesan saat dulu,yang mengubah pandanganku tentang sejarah dari yang membosankan menjadi sesuatu yang menyenangkan,dan akhirnya yang membuat sejarah jadi mata pelajaran favoritq, walau ya disekolah pelajarannya kurang memuaskan 🙃
Gambarnya yang khas,humor penulisnya yang sering buat aq ketawa😆
Tapi bukan berarti aq sepemahaman/setuju dengan semua teori didalamnya,terutama dua Bab pertama,
Dan yang paling membuatku kecewa Bab 4,tentang para Nabi Bani Israel,ada humor dan teori tak pantas,pakaian+gaya rambut yang tak berkembang,malahan pengikutnya yang lebih beradab dalam segi berpenampilan,aq bingung kok penulisnya gambarin kayak gitu ya?ya tentu saja dia gak sembarang ambil pendapat,tapi harusnya pilihlah yang pantas,yang bukan sekedar bikin ketawa atau terlihat aneh.
"dan yang terbaik dari Herodotus:dia mengarang sendiri semua dialog,dia ahli sejarah yang sehati denganku"~252
Me:*pantesan😂😅😅
Tapi dari semua itu aq tetap anggap ini bagus kok,mengingat buku ini bukan buku sejarah yang condong aliran religius manapun,tapi lebih ke bagaimana kerangka ilmu pengetahuan modern memilah yang menurut "mereka" data yang paling valid.
Buku ini yang paling berkesan saat dulu,yang mengubah pandanganku tentang sejarah dari yang membosankan menjadi sesuatu yang menyenangkan,dan akhirnya yang membuat sejarah jadi mata pelajaran favoritq, walau ya disekolah pelajarannya kurang memuaskan 🙃
Gambarnya yang khas,humor penulisnya yang sering buat aq ketawa😆
Tapi bukan berarti aq sepemahaman/setuju dengan semua teori didalamnya,terutama dua Bab pertama,
Dan yang paling membuatku kecewa Bab 4,tentang para Nabi Bani Israel,ada humor dan teori tak pantas,pakaian+gaya rambut yang tak berkembang,malahan pengikutnya yang lebih beradab dalam segi berpenampilan,aq bingung kok penulisnya gambarin kayak gitu ya?ya tentu saja dia gak sembarang ambil pendapat,tapi harusnya pilihlah yang pantas,yang bukan sekedar bikin ketawa atau terlihat aneh.
"dan yang terbaik dari Herodotus:dia mengarang sendiri semua dialog,dia ahli sejarah yang sehati denganku"~252
Me:*pantesan😂😅😅
Tapi dari semua itu aq tetap anggap ini bagus kok,mengingat buku ini bukan buku sejarah yang condong aliran religius manapun,tapi lebih ke bagaimana kerangka ilmu pengetahuan modern memilah yang menurut "mereka" data yang paling valid.
March 8, 2022
Dated, sure, but nonetheless fantastically detailed and engaging, The Cartoon History of the Universe is a must-read for any comics fan. I could have used more pre-history and less Greece, but those are minor quibbles when Larry Gonick is presenting history in such an informative and amusing fashion. I learned something new on basically every page.
Though Gonick does a nice job of pointing out women's role in history (or lack thereof in the Western canon), some of the "jokes" might not work with the PC crowd. A product of the book's time, perhaps - though the focus on sex in history is somewhat novel.
I'd really like a revised edition featuring all the historical knowledge we've obtained since the 90s. I'll just have to make do with the next volume which, delightfully, veers away from the Mediterranean view of history.
Though Gonick does a nice job of pointing out women's role in history (or lack thereof in the Western canon), some of the "jokes" might not work with the PC crowd. A product of the book's time, perhaps - though the focus on sex in history is somewhat novel.
I'd really like a revised edition featuring all the historical knowledge we've obtained since the 90s. I'll just have to make do with the next volume which, delightfully, veers away from the Mediterranean view of history.
October 7, 2025
a very entertaining read! not exactly comprehensible tho... spent 60% of this book unable to remember who is who and which is what. funnily, i understand the pre-historic part of this book better than the bit from the bible :D and i grew up reading the bible :D (doesn't mean i understand everything, of course, but yeah :D) a very fun read still. will i continue to the second book? yes! will i reread this book? probably, in a few decade...
February 26, 2017
A fascinating journey from the big bang, to the dinosaurs and evolution, to the beginnings of man and civilization; culminating in discussions of Greece.
This makes for a nice introduction to some of the subjects, and a nice reminder of others (depending on how much you already know, of course). I was thinking, "this would have been nice to read when I was 12" many times throughout the book because it covers a lot of the material I drudged through in public school middle school (age 12-15).
Much of history is conjecture, so its good to have multiple opinions on the subject matter. I think one criticism of this book is that Gonick seems confident in his opinion and either writes off other opinions who doesn't discuss them at all.
He's highly critical of religion (which I think is a good thing because it allows him to provide conjecture of the real-world basis of religion and religious/mythical [is there a difference?] stories). The old testament volume was interesting, as I contrasted it to my reading of Genesis, many of the historical conjecture as filtered through Gonick seems much more reasonable than the Bible's account.
I was bored by the Greek stories, which makes up that latter part of the book, if only because I am familiar with Greek history through my studies of its philosophy. I would have preferred more in depth discussion on early civilizations like Sumer.
Overall, a fun and enlightening read. I'm definitely going to continue the series as well as seek out the books Gonick recommends in his bibliography.
This makes for a nice introduction to some of the subjects, and a nice reminder of others (depending on how much you already know, of course). I was thinking, "this would have been nice to read when I was 12" many times throughout the book because it covers a lot of the material I drudged through in public school middle school (age 12-15).
Much of history is conjecture, so its good to have multiple opinions on the subject matter. I think one criticism of this book is that Gonick seems confident in his opinion and either writes off other opinions who doesn't discuss them at all.
He's highly critical of religion (which I think is a good thing because it allows him to provide conjecture of the real-world basis of religion and religious/mythical [is there a difference?] stories). The old testament volume was interesting, as I contrasted it to my reading of Genesis, many of the historical conjecture as filtered through Gonick seems much more reasonable than the Bible's account.
I was bored by the Greek stories, which makes up that latter part of the book, if only because I am familiar with Greek history through my studies of its philosophy. I would have preferred more in depth discussion on early civilizations like Sumer.
Overall, a fun and enlightening read. I'm definitely going to continue the series as well as seek out the books Gonick recommends in his bibliography.
April 17, 2018
Utter rubbish
1. I am not sure how much of it is accurate. There are nine issues. I found inaccuracies in the one on ancient India. I don’t know as much about the content of the other issues to say that there were inaccuracies, but I am doubtful anyway.
2. I wouldn’t even consider this history. There is a lot of talk of legends and other texts that is not strictly historical like the Vedas, Old Testament, Greek epics. The title of the book is very misleading in this regard.
3. It’s outdated. It talks about how fair-skinned aryans came from the Nordic region with horses and conquered pretty much every ancient civilisation from the black Egyptians to the dark-skinned dravidians in the Indus Valley. Oppressive, inaccurate colonial construct.
4. Even if I put aside the issues listed above and read this as if it were just any other comic book with a story, it’s dull and confusing. People and places are mentioned in a way that they are difficult to remember or connect with what I had already read in this book. Everything is too rushed.
This is a waste of time.
If you are a baboon who has never read history and wants a book with silly jokes and cute pictures, read this.
1. I am not sure how much of it is accurate. There are nine issues. I found inaccuracies in the one on ancient India. I don’t know as much about the content of the other issues to say that there were inaccuracies, but I am doubtful anyway.
2. I wouldn’t even consider this history. There is a lot of talk of legends and other texts that is not strictly historical like the Vedas, Old Testament, Greek epics. The title of the book is very misleading in this regard.
3. It’s outdated. It talks about how fair-skinned aryans came from the Nordic region with horses and conquered pretty much every ancient civilisation from the black Egyptians to the dark-skinned dravidians in the Indus Valley. Oppressive, inaccurate colonial construct.
4. Even if I put aside the issues listed above and read this as if it were just any other comic book with a story, it’s dull and confusing. People and places are mentioned in a way that they are difficult to remember or connect with what I had already read in this book. Everything is too rushed.
This is a waste of time.
If you are a baboon who has never read history and wants a book with silly jokes and cute pictures, read this.
June 23, 2024
Dad read these to me as bedtime stories. Loved em!
~~
Re-read was great. Surprising how well this has aged.
~~
Re-read was great. Surprising how well this has aged.
April 23, 2019
This is an impressive achievement. Gonick's attempt to boil the history of the world down into comics form is ambitious and largely successful, despite how unwieldy the subject is, especially when he gets to the birth of civilization and faces the challenge of how to juggle the accounts of multiple parallel developments. The cartooning seems to waver somewhat in these later chapters, becoming sketchier and scratchier, losing a lot of the supple expressiveness of line that made the early chapters stand out. Gonick's gimmick of maintaining a serious tone in the text but using a very cartoony style for the illustrations--and embedding a lot of humour, including many groan-worthy puns into the art--works well, balancing what could easily become dry information with dynamic visuals. The style is reminiscent of underground cartooning, but is rarely explicit enough to make this book unacceptable for general audiences--a few violent sequences perhaps being the exception. I look forward to getting my hands on the subsequent volumes.
December 22, 2018
13 miliar tahun sejarah yang dirangkum dalam 350 halaman komik ini sama sekali nggak bikin bosen. Bacaan yang menyenangkan karena disisipi lawakan-lawakan yang kocak banget hahahaha.
November 5, 2021
Ibtidai siniflərdə müfredata salınmalı komiksdir.
April 17, 2023
Веселі комікси, чудовий переклад -- довгі вечори стануть веселішими за пізнанням історії світу :)
November 28, 2021
Az egyik legszórakoztatóbb olvasmányom idén, pedig amikor a könyvtárban a kezembe akadt, nem gondoltam volna hogy nekem való. Pedig ez nem gyerekolvasmány, sőt, kifejezetten komplex dolgokat és sok pikáns vagy épp borzasztó történelmi tényt tartalmaz - persze könnyed stílusban és marhajó rajzokkal. A borítón lévő Terry Jones idézet igaz: "Minden idők egyik legjobb könyve" (de legalábbis az ismeretterjesztő képregény kategóriában biztosan).
September 17, 2020
Я дуже люблю історію та комікси і коли побачив це видання, то воно освітилось для мене ореолом божественного світла :) Але згодом я задумався, як можна впакувати такий історичний період в 300 з лишком сторінок та ще й не суцільного тексту? Мій скептицизм майже зник після початку читання. Чорно-білі малюнки виявились напрочуд якісними, тексту досить багато і лаконічно донесені найбільш важливі моменти минулого. Ще одне побоювання було стосовно "дитячості" даного творіння і тут я абсолютно помилився. Приблизно з 20 сторінки починається суцільний "sex, drugs and rock n roll". Рівень тут 16+ (ну ладно 14+) і це історія без цензури, власне як і малюнки. Одночасно з тим - це якісно новий рівень зацікавити молодь вивченням історії та уроків минулого. І це абсолютно не той совдепівський рівень монотонного начитування історичних дат, та озвучення, хто коли правив та помер (до підручників це також відноситься). Яка мета вивчення історії? Не запам'ятати купу імен та дурнуватих дат, а проаналізувати дії та мотивацію людей в минулому, зробити висновки та зрозуміти наслідки тих дій, аби не робити тих самих помилок у прийдешньому. Вивчення історії є аналогом здобутого (або вивченого) багаторічного робочого досвіду, коли ти розумієш, що варто чи не варто робити, аби це не коштувало тобі ресурсів, кар'єри, життя тощо.
Але давайте трошки проаналізуємо розділи цього графічного твору. Книга покриває історію від моменту Великого Вибуху і до моменту вступу Олександра Македонського в Індію. Об'єм розділів різних історичних епох дуже різниться. Дуже чітко проглядаються вподобання автора і ці вподобання рівнопропорційні виділеному часу на розповідь. Найбільші розділи присвячені Ізраїлю (на основі Старого Завіту) та Древній Греції. Якщо стосовно Греції у мене майже відсутні зауваження, то біблейські історії я б вкоротив вдвічі. Єдиний плюс виділеного часу - це добротний рівень сарказму і графічне зображення того трешу, що творився в Старому Завіті. А саме: братовбивства, інцест, геноцид інших народів і звісно усе в ім'я Всевишнього.
Що ж стосовно Греції? Тут все добре, але є одне але - Олександр Македонський. Олександру виділено півтори сторінки. ПІВТОРИ СТОРІНКИ КАРЛ! ОЛЕКСАНДРУ МАКЕДОНСЬКОМУ! І весь контент приблизно такого змісту: "Був такий чувак, в 20 років він сів на коня і поїхав усіх завойовувати, приїхав в Індію, давайте вже говорити про Індію в наступній книжці, ЗАВІСА" WTF Ларрі? Де бл**ть македонські фаланги? Та вони ж були жахом усіх цивілізованих армій того часу. Де опис Битви при Гавгамелах? Краще б Македонію взагалі не згадували, ніж описувати її в такому вигляді.
Але все ж таки планую читати наступну частину :)
І ще один момент. Було б чудово, якби в майбутньому знайшовся автор, який зможе створити схожий твір присвячений історії України.
Але давайте трошки проаналізуємо розділи цього графічного твору. Книга покриває історію від моменту Великого Вибуху і до моменту вступу Олександра Македонського в Індію. Об'єм розділів різних історичних епох дуже різниться. Дуже чітко проглядаються вподобання автора і ці вподобання рівнопропорційні виділеному часу на розповідь. Найбільші розділи присвячені Ізраїлю (на основі Старого Завіту) та Древній Греції. Якщо стосовно Греції у мене майже відсутні зауваження, то біблейські історії я б вкоротив вдвічі. Єдиний плюс виділеного часу - це добротний рівень сарказму і графічне зображення того трешу, що творився в Старому Завіті. А саме: братовбивства, інцест, геноцид інших народів і звісно усе в ім'я Всевишнього.
Що ж стосовно Греції? Тут все добре, але є одне але - Олександр Македонський. Олександру виділено півтори сторінки. ПІВТОРИ СТОРІНКИ КАРЛ! ОЛЕКСАНДРУ МАКЕДОНСЬКОМУ! І весь контент приблизно такого змісту: "Був такий чувак, в 20 років він сів на коня і поїхав усіх завойовувати, приїхав в Індію, давайте вже говорити про Індію в наступній книжці, ЗАВІСА" WTF Ларрі? Де бл**ть македонські фаланги? Та вони ж були жахом усіх цивілізованих армій того часу. Де опис Битви при Гавгамелах? Краще б Македонію взагалі не згадували, ніж описувати її в такому вигляді.
Але все ж таки планую читати наступну частину :)
І ще один момент. Було б чудово, якби в майбутньому знайшовся автор, який зможе створити схожий твір присвячений історії України.
December 13, 2014
Context: I recently learnt that Scott recommended this book (http://squid314.livejournal.com/34080...), just after having decided to read more books and semi-randomly browse the internet less (the latter was my wont for the last few years).
What I think of the book:
1) The writing style is conversational yet rigorous - very readable.
2) The illustrations are quite evocative, yet still funny.
3) It is synoptic in its scope - as Scott said, it introduces *many* people and places not usually covered, and actually goes into causes usually glossed over.
4) It appears *rigorously* researched, with an excellent (cartoon!) bibliography at the end for those who want to dig further into a specific topic (I'd love to read many of the books listed).
5) I felt, when reading the book, that this was a story of things that happened and that people did; a far cry from most history textbooks, which abstract away too many things.
6) It was utterly *gripping*, and having started, I found it really difficult to put the book down. I finished this volume in an all-nighter (which I, no longer a college student but a responsible working man, shouldn't really have indulged in); such did I find the writing.
I'm now much more interested in history than I was before, and plan to dig into the bibliography when my current reading backlog (of terrifying size) is finished.
What I think of the book:
1) The writing style is conversational yet rigorous - very readable.
2) The illustrations are quite evocative, yet still funny.
3) It is synoptic in its scope - as Scott said, it introduces *many* people and places not usually covered, and actually goes into causes usually glossed over.
4) It appears *rigorously* researched, with an excellent (cartoon!) bibliography at the end for those who want to dig further into a specific topic (I'd love to read many of the books listed).
5) I felt, when reading the book, that this was a story of things that happened and that people did; a far cry from most history textbooks, which abstract away too many things.
6) It was utterly *gripping*, and having started, I found it really difficult to put the book down. I finished this volume in an all-nighter (which I, no longer a college student but a responsible working man, shouldn't really have indulged in); such did I find the writing.
I'm now much more interested in history than I was before, and plan to dig into the bibliography when my current reading backlog (of terrifying size) is finished.
July 31, 2008
big bang...duar!!! sup, roti lapis, hingga cacing.
benarkah kehidupan berasal dari zat zat yang tidak hidup?? teori abiogenesis?? evolusi?? seleksi alam??
kalau benar ada evolusi. dan kalau benar manusia berasal dari kera. kenapa kera2 tdk berubah jadi manusia?? kenapa hingga detik ini blm pernah ditemukan adanya hewan peralihan?? burung tetap jadi burung, ikan tetaplah ikan, dan monyet tetap jadi monyet.
kalau teori evolusi benar adanya. bagaimana dgn adam dan hawa?? apakah mereka adalah homo sapiens pertama?? hasil sukses dari rangkaian evolusi berjuta bahkan bermilyar tahun lamanya?? bagaimanakah dgn doktrin agama2 samawi??
*pertentangan batin antara teori2 ilmiah dan ajaran agama konvensional*
terlepas dari pro dan kontra evolusi. terlepas dari beberapa kisah yang diceritakan hanya menurut versi tertentu saja. akan tetapi, buku ini cukup menghibur. sejarah dan biologi diramu dalam kartun dgn humor2 menyegarkan. seperti melihat kembali masa lalu, kilasan2 lewat mesin waktu
benarkah kehidupan berasal dari zat zat yang tidak hidup?? teori abiogenesis?? evolusi?? seleksi alam??
kalau benar ada evolusi. dan kalau benar manusia berasal dari kera. kenapa kera2 tdk berubah jadi manusia?? kenapa hingga detik ini blm pernah ditemukan adanya hewan peralihan?? burung tetap jadi burung, ikan tetaplah ikan, dan monyet tetap jadi monyet.
kalau teori evolusi benar adanya. bagaimana dgn adam dan hawa?? apakah mereka adalah homo sapiens pertama?? hasil sukses dari rangkaian evolusi berjuta bahkan bermilyar tahun lamanya?? bagaimanakah dgn doktrin agama2 samawi??
*pertentangan batin antara teori2 ilmiah dan ajaran agama konvensional*
terlepas dari pro dan kontra evolusi. terlepas dari beberapa kisah yang diceritakan hanya menurut versi tertentu saja. akan tetapi, buku ini cukup menghibur. sejarah dan biologi diramu dalam kartun dgn humor2 menyegarkan. seperti melihat kembali masa lalu, kilasan2 lewat mesin waktu
May 22, 2019
Моя остання книжка в челенджі від якабу. Ніколи в житті не думала, що читатиму комікси, але це виявилося дуже цікавим досвідом і тепер я хочу більше книжок від Ґоніка.
Книжка досить великого формату, охоплює період від великого вибуху до походів Александра Македонського. Востаннє я стикалася з таким великим історичним періодом у школі, і звісно, все вже забула. Тут була гарна нагода усе нагадати. Великий вибух, зародження життя, перші одноклітинні, росли��и, тварини, динозаври, зародження сучасної флори і фауни, походження людини, перші міста, поява грошей, писемності. Історія Єгипту, євреїв, хетів, греків. Все це приправлене гумором, іноді дуже смішно, прямо регочу (ось яку книжку треба було читати під №3 Багато жартів), багато сексу, так що кожен з батьків сам має вирішувати, з якого віку давати цю книжку дитині. Дуже класна робота перекладача, так адаптувати текст українською не кожному під силу!
Вердикт: комікси - це однозначно відкриття!
Книжка досить великого формату, охоплює період від великого вибуху до походів Александра Македонського. Востаннє я стикалася з таким великим історичним періодом у школі, і звісно, все вже забула. Тут була гарна нагода усе нагадати. Великий вибух, зародження життя, перші одноклітинні, росли��и, тварини, динозаври, зародження сучасної флори і фауни, походження людини, перші міста, поява грошей, писемності. Історія Єгипту, євреїв, хетів, греків. Все це приправлене гумором, іноді дуже смішно, прямо регочу (ось яку книжку треба було читати під №3 Багато жартів), багато сексу, так що кожен з батьків сам має вирішувати, з якого віку давати цю книжку дитині. Дуже класна робота перекладача, так адаптувати текст українською не кожному під силу!
Вердикт: комікси - це однозначно відкриття!
November 9, 2007
This is such an *awesome* book. From the time I was about 7 to, oh, a few months ago, I have picked up this book and disappeared for an hour or so at a time just reliving this very wrily funny (re: British) "comic" on human history, from the Big Bang up to Alexander's conquest. It helped make me a well-rounded little 7-year-old, but more than that, I'm effing positive it shaped my sense of humor. Every child in the world should be given this on their 7th birthday so they can keep revisiting it their whole lives.
And plus, it's the HISTORY of the UNIVERSE, folks...in addition to being funny and charmingly illustrated, dear lord is it comprehensive.
What a way to educate someone on, oh, Sumerian economy or the fertilization of reptiles...by being able to laugh out loud while doing so. Just brilliant.
And plus, it's the HISTORY of the UNIVERSE, folks...in addition to being funny and charmingly illustrated, dear lord is it comprehensive.
What a way to educate someone on, oh, Sumerian economy or the fertilization of reptiles...by being able to laugh out loud while doing so. Just brilliant.
June 17, 2015
I don't know what it says about me that this book counts as one of my major comfort books. My wife reads Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, I re-read the Cartoon History. I guess it's just been a stressful few weeks for me.
My one off-note of this book is a change in the style of the art for the last chapter (covering the Golden Age of Athens up to Alexander the Great). Gonick was going for a more Crumb, less cartoony style, but I like the earlier style better.
No more information, just go find it and read it!
My one off-note of this book is a change in the style of the art for the last chapter (covering the Golden Age of Athens up to Alexander the Great). Gonick was going for a more Crumb, less cartoony style, but I like the earlier style better.
No more information, just go find it and read it!
July 15, 2008
gw beli n baca komik ini rekomendasi nafi (eh..helo)
gw suka sejarah, gw suka gambar, gw suka humor, baca buku ini serasa di surga, bahagiaa banget hahaha.. tiap halaman bisa sampe guling2an ketawanya
content sejarahnya kaya & simpel
riset si ahli math Gonick super bgt (coba liat bagian pustakanya, yg kocak juga =D)
tetap ada beberapa fakta sejarah yang harus kita compare lagi sih.
kadang komik ini jadi referensi tercepat gw kalo mo ngecek kronologis dari suatu kejadian sejarah, hahaha
kalau baca buku ini.. santai aja, dan siap2 menertawakan diri sendiri, si manusia (dan si amang, hahaha)
gw suka sejarah, gw suka gambar, gw suka humor, baca buku ini serasa di surga, bahagiaa banget hahaha.. tiap halaman bisa sampe guling2an ketawanya
content sejarahnya kaya & simpel
riset si ahli math Gonick super bgt (coba liat bagian pustakanya, yg kocak juga =D)
tetap ada beberapa fakta sejarah yang harus kita compare lagi sih.
kadang komik ini jadi referensi tercepat gw kalo mo ngecek kronologis dari suatu kejadian sejarah, hahaha
kalau baca buku ini.. santai aja, dan siap2 menertawakan diri sendiri, si manusia (dan si amang, hahaha)
January 29, 2008
Refreshing, belajar sejarah jadi gak perlu serius banget.
Di buku I ini, Larry Gornick mencampur adukkan teori2 ilmu pengetahuan, sejarah, dan sedikit mitology2 dalam bentuk komik yang lucu.
Walaupun mungkin ada beberapa hal yang masih jadi perdebatan oleh para ahli di bidang ilmu pengetahuan, sejarah & kebudayaan.
Di buku I ini, Larry Gornick mencampur adukkan teori2 ilmu pengetahuan, sejarah, dan sedikit mitology2 dalam bentuk komik yang lucu.
Walaupun mungkin ada beberapa hal yang masih jadi perdebatan oleh para ahli di bidang ilmu pengetahuan, sejarah & kebudayaan.
June 20, 2018
Cannot recommend this book enough. It condenses a lot of information into just a few pages, yet strikes the perfect balance between details and brevity. I was looking to expand my knowledge about world history, and this book is an immense help in building a solid mind-map for the same. Why isn't this mandatory reading in schools/colleges already?
September 27, 2018
Ambitious and a good concept, but I was irritated by how women were consistently portrayed as punchlines and sex objects. Also disproportionately focused on bible stories. And covers almost exclusively the Mediterranean, not even mentioning South America, East Asia, etc. Could not finish. Not recommended- weed it for outdated approach.
September 28, 2019
This book is a great way to sneak science into your child's diet. Or for anyone to read and learn all those things that you missed or were never taught at all in school. Highly recommended. Nice to know that Jacqueline Onassis was the editor and that Gilbert Shelton, creator of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers was a big fan and gave these books their names.
August 15, 2020
The art and the narrative unite to create the best explication of history in my experience. I suppose a better story could be made of the available material.
Required reading for homo sapiens: a book I would give to a kid for their tenth birthday, and I would give odds they will treasure it too.
Required reading for homo sapiens: a book I would give to a kid for their tenth birthday, and I would give odds they will treasure it too.
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