What books would you recommend to a person who has had little contact with the world outside of his village to educate him or her on "the basics" of world history and how those events have led us to where we are today?
A Basic Understanding of the World
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Horrible Histories
I mean, they're for kids...but so is Harry Potter. At least this will teach facts and, from what I remember, good ones too!
Other than that I would say a general school textbook for GCSE level would do. I had one and learned about many other topics that I wasn't specifically studying in History class. Asides from one teacher, I'd say that general textbook with primary and secondary sources distinct from the prose of the textbook, probably kindled my interest in history more than anything else and gave me the sense of scope even though it focussed mainly on the 20th century. If you could get one that included the long nineteenth century then I don't think you'd need much else to get the scope and depth required.
But then I'm not really interested in much before the early modern period and really I only get truly into it from the 20th C onwards.
That's when it starts to get good. ;D
I mean, does acknowledging causality some naturally to all people? I don't think you need another book for that.
I mean, they're for kids...but so is Harry Potter. At least this will teach facts and, from what I remember, good ones too!
Other than that I would say a general school textbook for GCSE level would do. I had one and learned about many other topics that I wasn't specifically studying in History class. Asides from one teacher, I'd say that general textbook with primary and secondary sources distinct from the prose of the textbook, probably kindled my interest in history more than anything else and gave me the sense of scope even though it focussed mainly on the 20th century. If you could get one that included the long nineteenth century then I don't think you'd need much else to get the scope and depth required.
But then I'm not really interested in much before the early modern period and really I only get truly into it from the 20th C onwards.
That's when it starts to get good. ;D
I mean, does acknowledging causality some naturally to all people? I don't think you need another book for that.
I imagine that depends on which picture you want to paint for them.
"The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events" by Bernard Grun is a fun way to explore how the (western?) world was formed.
"Cosmos" by Carl Sagan if they want to go way back.
"A brief history of time" by Stephen Hawking if they want to go way waaay back.
I think [MENTION=1009]bamf[/MENTION]'s suggestion is a good one as well. What better way to learn why a group of people do what they do (or did what they did) than by studying their sacred texts.
"The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events" by Bernard Grun is a fun way to explore how the (western?) world was formed.
"Cosmos" by Carl Sagan if they want to go way back.
"A brief history of time" by Stephen Hawking if they want to go way waaay back.
I think [MENTION=1009]bamf[/MENTION]'s suggestion is a good one as well. What better way to learn why a group of people do what they do (or did what they did) than by studying their sacred texts.
The Necronomicon
The full collection of P.G Wodehouse
Cosbyology by Bill Cosby
And then I would send them on their way into the world.
The full collection of P.G Wodehouse
Cosbyology by Bill Cosby
And then I would send them on their way into the world.
