The Little Book of Big History: The Story of Life, the Universe and Everything

When it comes to histories of everything, Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens and Hendrik van Loon’s The Story of Mankind are more to my liking, and both books are easy reads. And, though more focused on science, Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything is still probably the best introduction around.However, this book (The Little Book of Big History by Ian Crofton and Jeremy Black), brief though it is, does manage to give a good overview of events, discoveries and changes that have shaped our world in fewer pages than the above mentioned books. This, in many ways, is the virtue of a book like this; particularly if you’re like me and always trying to find the time to read.I initially bought this for my children, so that they could get a brief overview of history and science without having to trudge through some huge encyclopedia, or similar sized tome of book, to extract such information. But, truth be told, I enjoyed reading it myself. And though it does not include enough detail for my particular liking, it does at least whet one’s appetite for seeking out further information, which, after all, is not altogether a bad thing.I hope you find my review helpful.

Little or not, big or not, I found this an excellent book, well worth devoting some time towards. The writing style ( I suppose as befits "big" history ) is of small bullet point chapters, the text virtually non-judgemental and purely fact based. What lifts the book are very many well chosen quotes from various sources, quotes that offer a counter-point to the main text - even offering a degree of ethical judgement and calling upon us to give further thought to each chapters content. There are also a few illustrations dotted about which lighten the load. Recommended, irrespective of the price, which was amazingly low ( i.e. £0.99 only when purchased ) Thank you.

It promises to tell everything, but I didn't feel like I learned much. It's more like a collection of essays about themes and epochs told in the broadest terms. The history of the universe is just too long to write a little book about while including the detail that could bring it alive. If the chapters tell a story, we are left to join the dots. Easy to read with some helpful images, maps and quotes, but I'm wondering why I read it.

This is an accessible and fascinating book on the relatively new discipline of Big History which attempts to explain the entire story of the cosmos from the Big Bang to the present day.The book is divided into six parts: 'Setting The Scene'; 'Animal Planet'; 'Humans Start To Dominate'; 'Civilization'; 'The Rise Of The West' & 'The Modern World'.A range of disciplines such as history, cosmology, biology, archaeology and anthropology are drawn on to paint a 'big picture'.Anyone wishing to gain some understanding of 'life, the universe and everything' should read the mind-expanding 'The Little Book Of Big History'.

It wasn’t A Short History Of Nearly Everything which I adored but it wasn’t bad. Lots of things covered but as one might expect all very briefly. A nice easy read.

Enjoyable book to read and a good platform for more of the same future books to read, would enjoy reading it again

lots of good ideas, but rather dull language...i prefer h g wells' history...sorry...

A useful, and informative book for some one embarking on the subject. I am finding it very interesting. Well worth the money, and will be useful for a reference book.