The Penguin History of the World
by John Morris Roberts · first published 1990
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Both are a major investment of time, but have paid off: VOLTAIRE’S BASTARDS: THE DICTATORSHIP OF REASON IN THE WEST http://www.johnralstonsaul.com/non-fiction-books/voltaires_b... The Penguin History of the World https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316944/the-penguin-...
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗…Robert Greene Fooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams Basic Economics - Thomas Sowell The World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman The Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad
on “Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?” ↗For the high-level sweep of history in a single volume, The Penguin History of the World is hard to beat. But realistically you have to get closer. Pick a time period, or a theme, or even an individual, and start digging. Some people like local or family history. Try to find a selection…
on “The Griffin Warrior Tomb Upends What We Know About the Roots of Mycenae” ↗…would the people uprise, printing press or not? Hell, Confucius was practically the inventor of meritocracy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism#Meritocracy). See also the Chinese chapters in the "Penguin history of the world" by Roberts. On the other hand, there isn't a single "heretic" that made a sliver of difference before the printing press, while after you have countless ones, Luther being merely the first.
on “Luther's World: Understanding the man who was the powerhouse of the Reformation” ↗…Holes, the Big Bang, and Theories of Everything by George Musser Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time, #13) by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov Just started reading The Penguin History Of The World by J.M. Roberts & Odd Arne Westad. I'd always found history interesting in a general sense, but other than a couple of specific periods that I found interesting (the American Revolution, WWI, WWII), I…
on “Ask HN: What are the best books you've read this year?” ↗I had The Penguin History of the World recommended to me for exactly this purpose a couple of years ago. It’s quite a tome and I haven’t had a chance to finish it, but so think anything aiming to capture so much in one book will be incredibly…
on “History Books: The 2021 Wolfson Prize Shortlist” ↗