“History of the World in Bite-Sized Chunks”, by Emma Marriott

 

192 pages, Michael O’Mara Books, ISBN-13: 978-1606711873

Over Christmas of 2022 the Fraser Public Library did a Secret Santa thing in which anyone who wanted to participate could write down a gift idea for themselves, which helped the shopper out tremendously (mine asked for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, God Bless Her). I wrote down histories or biographies but, fearing they would not find anything below the $10 limit, also put down Hot Wheel and Matchbox cars – not that it matters, ‘cause my Secret Santa got me History of the World in Bite-Sized Chunks by Emma Marriott (for $9.99 from Barnes & Noble, I imagine). So I did alright and got another book for my library because, as you assuredly know by now, you can never have too many books.

This is a small book for such a large topic, coming in at fewer than 200 pages and measuring a mere 5”x7.75”. But this book is a primer, not an exhaustive history, meant to whet the appetite for more. And seeing one culture after another spoken of in order of when they arose, flourished and inevitably fell aids in bringing past worlds into focus and the march of history across the globe. This matters for Marriott prides herself on casting her historical net wide and gathering in cultures from around the world, not only from Europe and North America but from the Middle East, Africa, the Far East, Oceana and all the Americas. In short, as all-encompassing a history as one would hope for of our small world after all.

Be warned: the info packed into this slim volume is still immense, so you will probably (like I did) have to take your time and read slowly to ingest it all; hell, you will probably (like I did) also have to go back and reread certain sections just to ensure that you got all the facts straight. But no matter, read it twice, thrice and more to absorb all the history you can on this crazy world of ours.