This book takes a dramatically original approach to the history of humanity, using objects which previous civilisations have left behind them, often accidentally, as prisms through which we can explore past worlds and the lives of the men and women who lived in them. The book's range is enormous. It begins with one of the earliest surviving objects made by human hands, a chopping tool from the Olduvai gorge in Africa, and ends with an object from the 21st century which represents the world we live in today. Neil MacGregor's aim is not simply to describe these remarkable things, but to show us their significance - how a stone pillar tells us about a great Indian emperor preaching tolerance to his people, how Spanish pieces of eight tell us about the beginning of a global currency or how an early Victorian tea-set tells us about the impact of empire. Each chapter immerses the reader in a past civilization accompanied by an exceptionally well-informed guide. Seen through this lens, history is a kaleidoscope - shifting, interconnected, constantly surprising, and shaping our world today in ways that most of us have never imagined. An intellectual and visual feast, it is one of the most engrossing and unusual history books published in years.

About the Author

Neil MacGregor has been Director of the British Museum since August 2002. He was previously Director of the National Gallery in London from 1987 to 2002.

Reviews

A History of the World in 100 Objects ... has been a triumph: hugely popular, and rightly lauded as one of the most effective and intellectually ambitious initiatives in the making of 'public history' for many decades. -- John Adamson Sunday Telegraph Highly intelligent, delightfully written and utterly absorbing -- Timothy Clifford Spectator Allen Lane has done Mr MacGregor proud... The objects have been beautifully photographed, Mr MacGregor's voice comes through distinctively and his arguments about the interconnectedness of disparate societies through the ages are all the stronger for the detail afforded by extra space. A book to savour and start over Economist This is a story book, vivid and witty, shining with insights, connections, shocks and delights -- Gillian Reynolds Daily Telegraph The style is authentic, personal and humorous. MacGregor could not have skewered our pretensions better...Look on our works, ye mighty, and despair -- Andrew Roberts Financial Times Brilliant, engagingly written, deeply researched -- Mary Beard Guardian

This title's stated thesis is to unfurl a two million-year history of the world through 100 objects in the British Museum. Each chapter features a handmade object or set of objects that tells a story about previous civilizations. Starting with one of the earliest surviving hand tools from Africa's Olduvai Gorge, the span of history concludes with a 21st-century object representative of today's world (you have to finish the audiobook to learn what it is). This is not a traditional history but rather an interesting reflection on the changes in human societies. This is an alluring audiobook, one that can be listened to in short or long increments. The musical background that opens and closes each chapter is evocative the first few times you hear it but quickly becomes annoying. Some chapters include background sounds of visitors in the museum, which can set a mood or prove irritating depending on the listener. MacGregor, who provides the narration, has been the British Museum's director since 2002. Recommended for everyone who enjoys history or is interested in how humans have changed and progressed through time.-Gloria Maxwell, Metropolitan Community Coll.-Penn Valley Lib., Kansas City, MO (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.