History of the World, Updated

By: J.M. Roberts

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 54 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

In the History of the World, Updated, J. M. Roberts has revised his monumental previous work, History of the World, taking into account the great range of discoveries that have altered our views on everything from early civilizations to post-Cold War globalism. Large portions of text have been rewritten, addressing events as recent as the relationship between the Arab and Western worlds in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

As in his previous work, this is also a book of extraordinary ambition, clarity, and style that follows the central notion that human history is the story of change, a deliberate shaping of experience and environment. Among the elements that have made the book uniquely appealing are its powerful vision and voice.

Roberts's book is exceptional in its genuinely global and comprehensive nature, showing the development of different civilizations through the ages, from our origins on the African savannah to A.D. 2002. Like no other book, it succeeds in conveying the staggering diversity of the human experience across a vast range of circumstances and habitats.

If there is one book anyone truly interested in history should hear, this is it.

©2002 J.M. Roberts (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Davidson's reading of this behemoth is actually a nice match of text and reader. His voice is clear and easily understood." (AudioFile)

Comprehensive world history

It's difficult to summarize a book this long because there were moments of sheer brilliance and hours of near tedium but, overall, the better parts made it worth the listen. My favorite narrator, David Case (a/k/a Frederick Davidson) recorded it with his outstanding British accent. It sounds like he also recorded the author's update shortly after 9-11-01 because his voice is nearly gone but still loveable. Shortly thereafter his vocal cords were removed from cancer, so this may be his final recording. If you want to get a comprehensive summary of world history from ancient pre-humans down to the present, this is the book for you. Just be prepared for some passages with "all you ever wanted to know and more". But hang in there and you'll consider it worth the effort, I believe.

Enjoyable

The content was interesting and informative. one complaint regarding the narrator, toward the end of the book you can hear a definite change in his voice it was as if he had a cold. Beyond that a great book and narrator!

Takes a lot of time to finish but well worth it

I spread this audiobook out over many months listening to it in small pieces. It was much better than any comparable history textbooks you will find and if you want a great overview of the major historical characters and events this is a great source. I'd like to get a hardcopy just for reference and to see what charts, lists and maps I missed out on.

a good read

This is a good read covering significant periods of time. The "updated" version could perhaps use another updating. For instance the words "computer" and "internet" are never mentioned. Perhaps this can be excused by the vast period of time the book seeks to cover. The narration is very good.

informative but unnecessarily long

I've listened through the entire book, and I've definitely learned quite a lot from it. However, there's been a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that the book could have been just as good at about half the length. The author alternates between historical narrative (useful) and long editorial segments that ultimately don't provide much information (not so useful). Dr. Roberts appears to have a significant interest in cultural/societal trends throughout history, but commentaries on these subjects unfortunately suffer from a flair towards wordy expositions that don't offer much substance. Also, for better or for worse, the book is decidedly Eurocentric (and especially Anglocentric), which may be understandable given Dr. Roberts' background. For example, more is discussed of the British occupation of India, as of the entire history of modern Latin America.

Overall, it is worth listening to in order to achieve a greater understanding of the flow of history and the complex interactions between civilizations over time. But I almost wish I had instead chosen an abridged version. (I have the book form of his "A short history of the world", which is much more succinct, although it leaves out much of the historical narrative and leaves in too much of the editorial commentaries.)

Exceptional match of content and narration

This book presents a comprehensive view of world history (albeit from a macro-perspective) in an interesting and entertaining format. Its completion, in and of itself, is impressive given the massive scope of the project. The fact that the book maintains the reader's\listener's interest is nothing short of incredible.

Perhaps it is Davidson's outstanding narration. Listeners will find themselves transported to a relaxed, scholarly lecture in which interest is maintained by his masterful timing and skilled inflection. Davidson captivates his audience, and leads them on fascinating journey through time, at the end of which, you find yourself not only more educated, but also more empathetic.

Impressive albeit flawed world history

World history, as a narrative subject, is still in its relative infancy, with attempts at it few and far between. J. M. Roberts 1976 tome was one of the first broadly published, and it was not until the wildly successful 'Guns, Germs and Steel' decades later that world history became accepted as a genuine literary pursuit (critics always claimed it was impossible to adequately capture world history in a single volume). As such, Roberts' work, although updated many times until 2002 in this recording, is very much a product of its time - a staunch defence of the validity of world history as well as a deliberately provocative narrative replete with snipes that fluctuate between sarcastic humour and outright offense towards just about everyone. Frederick Davidson's reading perfectly matches this tone - it's very entertaining and enjoyable to listen to, but the occasionally troubled pronunciations of now well-known foreign names ('Chernobyl', for example) is telling. This is definitely a world history for a bygone generation.

Roberts greatest flaw (in my opinion) is an attempt to ascribe the enlightenment (i.e., reliance on reason and evidence over intuition and superstition) to European culture and from there spreading as a 'Europeanization' of the world. As a modern reader (and a European to boot), this seems as absurd as attempts in ages past to ascribe the coming of agriculture to a particular civilisation until it was realised that it emerged independently in several places by different cultures. Why the adoption of Arabic mathematics and science wasn't similarly called an 'Arabization' of the world, or the adoption of Mongolian cavalry warfare and Chinese gunpowder wasn't called a 'Sinization' of the world I think illustrates the problem with such phrases which attempt to claim cultural credit.

Fortunately, such cultural attributions are in decline, just as racial attributions were once in vogue as a misuse of Darwinian reasoning and since discredited. I cannot, therefore, recommend this work for new readers of world history. As others have noted, it is too skewed towards prosecuting the case for a European hegemony, labouring far too heavily on this thesis at the expense of far more interesting topics within distinctive cultures. For readers interested in the 'history of world history', though, this is an excellent bookmark in the evolution of the topic - highly illuminating of the mindset and perspective of that time and in that place (Europe). As the author points out, he can only write as a white Anglo-Saxon male (which I am too!). The difference between us, though, is about 60 years in age, and as such, a more recent (and ironically 'enlightened') account of world history would probably suit younger readers ... if only there were some more to choose from!

There are excellent sections within this work, and it is best to approach it by specific chapters of interest (most of which never exceed 90 minutes). In this way, as a series of topics, it is very manageable and the useful knowledge is clearly revealed in between the opening and closing remarks which tend to stray into the provocative style already noted.

A Good Introduction to World History

Any additional comments?

This was a fine introduction to World history. It was, by necessity, very long. Also, as someone with a strong background in history already, I felt that I learned little that I did not already know from high school and college history courses. If you are looking for a detailed history or a highly engaging overview (if there is such a thing for World history!), you should probably look elsewhere, otherwise it is a good book to listen to.

Wonderful, enlightening!

Since starting this book the world has taken on new forms. My Canadian/British background, spanish friends, building architecture at city hall, current world events, and scientific studies, all have taken on new meaning. Contrasted to a culture that has a memory of six months, this wonderful summary of world events changes the focus of ones attention. This book should be required reading for every person. The long legacy of human history is inspiring. Our daily lives become less of a burden when it is plain to see that even the greatest of people, from the pope, to kings, thinkers, and emperors are, in the end, no more then a line of text.
In terms of the length of the book, which is notable (and has allowed me to accumulate two more credits on my account) you really need to have a daily routine where you can listen for an hour or so. I take my dogs for a walk at night time, and find the slow progress of human history perfect accompaniment. The sound quality is not spectacular, but the voice is smooth, and well paced; but this all helps to allow the mind to create its own colour.

Probably Worthwhile

Even at the "best" file format the audio quality is mediocre. The narrator's voice is affected and annoying. The text is airy, too general and glib. But, this is the only (entire) world history I've been able to find on audio and that counts for a lot. This audiobook is probably worth the price and the listening time.