Asimov's Chronology of the World: The History of the World From the Big Bang to Modern Times
An author who has written 465 books unquestionably knows the craft well, and here Asimov tackles nothing less than a history of the Earth from the creation of the universe to 1945. The format is similar to Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery ( LJ 10/1/89): blocks of time are isolated and their events chronicled, first with theories in prehistory and then through historical records. One finishes the book feeling that history has been more the march of armies than of enlightenment. Asimov's style is crisp, concise, and devoid of jargon, and he is not above interjecting an occasional ironic or strongly felt opinion when a human foible invites one. Some, perhaps most, concepts and events are treated in an overly simplified manner, but that is unavoidable in a book that attempts to cover 15 billion years of history. Events are conveyed in broad terms, and proportionately few dates are included to interrupt the narrative, making this book as useful in a circulating collection as in reference. Its use as a ready reference tool, either to answer basic questions or as a starting point for more detailed research, will depend largely on the thoroughness of the index, unavailable for review. Those wishing for a more concise historical chronology might purchase Bernard Grun's Timetables of History (S. & S., 1982. rev. ed.); though an older title, it covers a more manageable period, from 5000 B.C. to 1978. For public, school, and university libraries.- James Moffet, Baldwin P.L., Birmingham, Mich.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.