Rating: 
Summary: History of the World, but from Western Perspective
Review: The book is an excellent narration of the world history. It provides a solid foundation for understanding the events and building a perspective for trends coming ahead in world civilization. However the book has certain misrepresentations and misjudgements about Oriental civilizations. The coverage of the book is rather Eurocentric. The sections on the Western history is brilliant, however when it comes to Islamic civilization, Indian, Chinese, Central Asian and Russian the coverage becomes rather superficial. In fact I find several misrepresentations, misjudgements and even omissions of great events and names that shaped the history of mankind not to mention the history of that part of the world. There is almost no reference to the peripheral yet important civilizations of Southeast Asia. I wished that the book could have more balanced presentation and coverage. However if you are aware of such deficiencies and make your own reading the book is an excellent foundation, a coherent narrative of world history.
Rating:
Summary: The sweep of history made real
Review: This book consists of 1109 pages of dense historical facts and analyses from the early beginnings of civilization right up to 1995. It was a long hard read and impossible to totally grasp it all. There's just too much information packed into tight paragraphs and a presupposition that the reader is familiar with the material. I was determined to read it however, and absorb as much as I could, and so I just kept reading, letting my eyes skim over parts I couldn't quite understand. I pushed on through with the intention of getting a general understanding even though I knew I'd never remember all the names of kings, battles, and constantly changing borders of countries. The author is British and the book a bit Eurocentric, but he did manage to include the whole globe in a somewhat confusing way. Sometimes he'd jump from Europe to Asia to the Middle East all on one page. And then from century to century. It was an ambitious undertaking. I applaud him for it. And I must say that it did make the sweep of history very real for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much information to make it interesting
Review: This book covers a lot of history... being only 1000 pages it still covers the entire history of civilization. Unfortunately, this book tries to cover too much information in too little space to allow for interesting details of the history it covers. Instead of going into detail about the causes of certain events, it basically lists them, one after another in which gets boring somewhat quickly. Many other books on historical events or subjects (most of which are not as broad in scope as this one) are much more entertaining due to the amount of insight that they bring to the subject. It is a fine book if you need a reference for general history, but not if you want to be enlightened about history. Most of what it covers you have already learned in high school. It goes into very little depth.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: This book deserves a permanent assigned spot on every history buff's nightstand. For one thing, it's a wonderfully written compendium of our human history. For another, it will take a good long time to get through, and by then a second reading will be needed. Not an easy read, but an essential and ultimately fulfilling one. Stay with it and it will stay with you.
Rating:
Summary: a fascinating book for the patient reader
Review: This is a fascinating read, worth reading and rereading. It will give you a background for every event in world history and in the headlines. It gives a sense of the sweep of history that could not possibly be given in any less ambitious format. I disagree that there are no overarching themes in the book, I pick out two big ones. One is that to understand events at any time in history you have to know what went before. He carries this to its logical extreme by starting with the big bang, and it allows him to present history with no arbitrary boundaries. That is fun! His second theme is the prime place of Europe in world history. Roberts argues that while many cultures have contributed their own strand to the world culture, the European contribution is the largest. For this reason, events in Europe get more play than those in any other part of the world. While this might strike some as Eurocentric, it strikes me as Roberts' best efforts to make clear why our world is the way it is today. I recommend it very highly for the PATIENT reader. If you can get past the Sumerians you've got it made.
Rating:
Summary: Another Eurocentric historian
Review: This is a very good book, a 1,200 or so page summary of the history of the world. Roberts is balanced, fair, and accurate in his reporting. He does not pander to Western stereotypes like some do. For example, he acknowledges the fact that the 'Middle Ages' really were no such thing. The period we label that was really a development of tradition along a straight trajectory into the present modern world. He effectively dispels the 'Dark Ages' myth. As an example, he demonstrates that it was in the 11th and 12th centuries that Europe began recovering the ancient Greek and Roman philosophies from the Arabs, translating them, expanding upon them. One of the most important late realizations of the foundations of Western civilization is the debt that is owed to Islamic society. To them we owe much: medicine, algebra, astronomy, architecture, anatomy, the diffusion of Eastern culture to the West. Roberts also writes in an engaging manner. He does not go into great detail often, surely impossible in a world of such vast scope. On occasion he will indulge in detail when it is particularly important or interesting. He pays careful attention to the roots of events; the fall of the Roman Empire for example. He eloquently explains all the changes to Roman society that began in the 3rd century that resulted in the eventual fall of the Western Empire, without simplifying obscurely. I find this a very easy book to read, and highly enjoyable. The book is somewhat Western-centric, and as you move eastward there is less and less detail. I think that Islamic civilization is covered in considerable depth relatively which is positive, but when you proceed to India, China, Japan the material loses some attention. Overall, still a very good read.
Rating:
Summary: This book is good
Review: This is a very good book, a 1,200 or so page summary of the history of the world. Roberts is balanced, fair, and accurate in his reporting. He does not pander to Western stereotypes like some do. For example, he acknowledges the fact that the 'Middle Ages' really were no such thing. The period we label that was really a development of tradition along a straight trajectory into the present modern world. He effectively dispels the 'Dark Ages' myth. As an example, he demonstrates that it was in the 11th and 12th centuries that Europe began recovering the ancient Greek and Roman philosophies from the Arabs, translating them, expanding upon them. One of the most important late realizations of the foundations of Western civilization is the debt that is owed to Islamic society. To them we owe much: medicine, algebra, astronomy, architecture, anatomy, the diffusion of Eastern culture to the West. Roberts also writes in an engaging manner. He does not go into great detail often, surely impossible in a world of such vast scope. On occasion he will indulge in detail when it is particularly important or interesting. He pays careful attention to the roots of events; the fall of the Roman Empire for example. He eloquently explains all the changes to Roman society that began in the 3rd century that resulted in the eventual fall of the Western Empire, without simplifying obscurely. I find this a very easy book to read, and highly enjoyable. The book is somewhat Western-centric, and as you move eastward there is less and less detail. I think that Islamic civilization is covered in considerable depth relatively which is positive, but when you proceed to India, China, Japan the material loses some attention. Overall, still a very good read.
Rating:
Summary: The best!
Review: This is the most interesting book I have ever read. I agree with the positive things that others have said about it. I see the point of the negative remarks but the subject is covered well. The trade off is fewer details and not so much fun. It took me over a year to read it, my copy is all marked up, and I still keep it close for reference.
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