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20 reviews for:
The Human Web: A Bird's-Eye View of World History
John Robert McNeill, William H. McNeill
3.38 AVERAGE
20 reviews for:
The Human Web: A Bird's-Eye View of World History
John Robert McNeill, William H. McNeill
3.38 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
While not the most engaging book ever, I think it substantiates it’s claim from its Preface: “This boom is written for people who would like to know how the world got to be the way it is but don’t have time to read a shelf or two of history books.”
It’s a fantastic overview of world history that doesn’t skimp on the (most of the) details while not losing sight of its overall goal: it focuses on the connections between humans and between societies that humans build.
It’s a great read for world history teachers and students, particularly those taking AP World History, World History 101, or other collegiate equivalents.
It’s a fantastic overview of world history that doesn’t skimp on the (most of the) details while not losing sight of its overall goal: it focuses on the connections between humans and between societies that humans build.
It’s a great read for world history teachers and students, particularly those taking AP World History, World History 101, or other collegiate equivalents.
A very good, very broad overview of human history, perfect for those looking for an outline of the driving forces behind mankind's recent evolution, and for anyone re-orienting themselves with the history they may (or may not) have learned in secondary education. A great book to start with if you've found a new interest in learning some history, but don't know exactly what time, culture, or place to start with; as the narrative covers all of historical time, as well as a bit of prehistory in the beginning, and touches on cultures around the globe. Though the style is reminiscent of standard textbooks, the voice is clear and unpretentious, without the dry, verbose language so many people avoid most history books for. The author(s) simple, straightforward style and flow make this an easy read. The theme works to show how the many different time periods of human history fit in context with each other, and provides a logical explanation for how and why history evolved the way it did. And though the narrative can get a little repetitious at times, I found that repetition very helpful in retaining the information being conveyed. Is this book an exhaustive explanation of human history? No, but it's not supposed to be. Used as a primer, a stepping off point, for further interest in learning history, it's nearly perfect. I suggest this book to anyone and everyone who has a vague idea that they might want to learn some history, but have little, or no, idea where to start.
The idea is good. To describe not the outside of history, but the inside of it, the processes that direct the flow of events. And not from one particular point of view (as f.ex. Marxists do), but taking into account various mutually independent factors, such as the spread of diseases and the speed of communications in addition to economic, political or religious factors.
However, the actual book leaves a lot to be desired. First of all, there were too many factual mistakes in the areas that I know something about to let me trust surprising revelations in areas where I know less. Secondly, the choice of examples was quite often out of proportion. The book does not mention Charlemagne and deals in passing with Alexander the Great, but dedicates more than a page to the Taiping rebellion and more than half a page to Simon Kimbangu (while neglecting to mention any Mahdi rebellions in Africa). Once in a while the narrative got a bit tedious and another story of a migrating crop did not seem as important as it might have seemed to the authors.
That said, the book contains a lot of very astute observations and convincing explanations of phenomena and processes that really set me thinking. So yes, well earned three stars, but the ideal single volume on human history probably remains yet to be written.
However, the actual book leaves a lot to be desired. First of all, there were too many factual mistakes in the areas that I know something about to let me trust surprising revelations in areas where I know less. Secondly, the choice of examples was quite often out of proportion. The book does not mention Charlemagne and deals in passing with Alexander the Great, but dedicates more than a page to the Taiping rebellion and more than half a page to Simon Kimbangu (while neglecting to mention any Mahdi rebellions in Africa). Once in a while the narrative got a bit tedious and another story of a migrating crop did not seem as important as it might have seemed to the authors.
That said, the book contains a lot of very astute observations and convincing explanations of phenomena and processes that really set me thinking. So yes, well earned three stars, but the ideal single volume on human history probably remains yet to be written.
A World History in over 350 pages, some have done it, but not the way father and son McNeill have. They managed to put a new gridding over the complex evolution of mankind, namely that of evermore enlarging and more complicated webs, first locally (agrarian towns), than metropolitan (cities), followed by civilizations and finally the cosmopolitan worldwide web, starting from 1500 AD.
To look at history in this way is especially refreshing for the period between 3000 BC and 1500 AD because it illustrates that civilizations and/or empires interact intensely. This said, I've got a bit of a problem in the use the McNeill's make of the term 'the old Worldwide web', suggesting that there already was an intense interaction between the Roman Empire, the Parths and China; this seems to me exaggerated. Also, it's very odd to see that the Roman Empire only gets about 10 lines of attention, whilst the Chinese civilization gets ample attention in almost every chapter; perhaps a question of overcompensation?
In short: this is a thorough and brilliant book that gives new insight in the cohesion of human evolution, but sometimes is a bit unbalanced.
To look at history in this way is especially refreshing for the period between 3000 BC and 1500 AD because it illustrates that civilizations and/or empires interact intensely. This said, I've got a bit of a problem in the use the McNeill's make of the term 'the old Worldwide web', suggesting that there already was an intense interaction between the Roman Empire, the Parths and China; this seems to me exaggerated. Also, it's very odd to see that the Roman Empire only gets about 10 lines of attention, whilst the Chinese civilization gets ample attention in almost every chapter; perhaps a question of overcompensation?
In short: this is a thorough and brilliant book that gives new insight in the cohesion of human evolution, but sometimes is a bit unbalanced.
A very interesting read, especially because it is so concise. And it's a useful introduction to looking at world history in a more global way, using the metaphor of the web. See my more elaborate review in my Sense-of-History-account: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/775076503
Nothing in here was particularly new or Earth shattering based on my own interest in this topic. However, if you want an introduction to the ideas of Big History this book might fit your purposes.
informative
slow-paced