Named The Times (UK) History Book of the Year! Named one of the Best Books of the Year by The Economist "In his new book, Simon Sebag Montefiore traces the perilous and prescriptive power of ancestry through centuries riddled with rivalry, betrayal, and violence. As the title suggests, [ The World ] approaches the sweep of world history through the family--or, to be more precise, through families in power. In the course of some thirteen hundred pages, The World offers a monumental survey of dynastic rule: how to get it, how to keep it, how to squander it. The World has the heft and character of a dictionary. Montefiore energetically fulfills his promise to write a ''genuine world history, not unbalanced by excessive focus on Britain and Europe.'' In zesty sentences and lively vignettes, he captures the widening global circuits of people, commerce, and culture." --The New Yorker "Simon Sebag Montefiore knows how to keep our attention. Perhaps understanding that facing down 1,300 pages of human history might cause even the most committed reader to quail, he makes certain to pepper The World with enough inventive gore, twisted villainy, and seriously kinky sex to keep those pages turning.
This book may be huge, but the author ensures it is thoroughly accessible. Montefiore''s accomplishment here is nothing short of breathtaking. It is no mean feat to create a comprehensive timeline of human history that is deeply researched, illuminating, addictively compelling, and -- quite simply -- a rowdy good time." --The Washington Independent Review of Books "A staggering achievement. Simon Sebag Montefiore has given us a tremendous gift: a pulsingly readable world history through the millennia and from one end of the globe to the other." --Sir Simon Schama, author of The Story of the Jews "A tour de force. Hugely ambitious, erudite and filled with surprises. This puts the family and families back into the heart of history.
" -- Peter Frankopan, New York Times best-selling author of Silk Roads "Compelling, moving, epic, and diverse, Montefiore''s wonderful storytelling prowess and wide research pulls off this unparalleled world history in a single narrative with unforgettable style. All the drama of humankind is here from cavemen to Putin and Zelensky." -- Olivette Otele, author of African Europeans "One word for Montefiore''s book: magisterial." -- Ben Okri, Booker Prize-winning author of The Famished Road "In this work of astonishing scope and erudition, Simon Sebag Montefiore interweaves the stories of the servants, courtiers, and kings, pioneers, preachers, and philosophers who have made history. A brilliant synthesis that will impart fresh insight to even the most learned readers." -- Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State "Simon Sebag Montefiore took on the ambitious task of telling the story of mankind throughout time which he accomplished in splendid fashion! The World: A Family History of Humanity is a brilliant book, and its examination of our species'' experiences through the prism of the family is truly inspired.
" -- General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and NATO/US Forces in Afghanistan; former Director of the CIA. "There is a certain satisfaction in holding, and reading a bulky tome. Simon Sebag Montefiore''s The World: A Family History requires strong wrists, but is well worth the physical effort. It is a most readable and fascinating history of humanity from the perspective of that most enduring of institutions: the family. There is pleasure and learning on every [page]." Alexander McCall Smith, New Statesman , Books of the Year 2022 "A rollicking, globetrotting . truly global history spanning almost every continent.
A thrilling tapestry. Only a highly skilled storyteller and pen-portraitist could so deftly grip attention across twenty-three ''acts'', spanning more than six millennia and packed with lavish and pullulating detail. The World is wildly entertaining . certainly enriching and bracingly profane." Times Literary Supplement "This history of the world, told through the stories of eminent families, is a riveting page-turner. The author brings his cast of dynastic titans, rogues and psychopaths to life with pithy, witty pen portraits, ladling on the sex and violence. An epic that both entertains and informs." -- The Economist , Best Books of 2022 "A magnificent new book by Montefiore.
[A] magisterial tome. To make sense of the chaos of world history, [Montefiore] has done magnificently and meticulously by choosing as his framework all the dynasties we know of that ever held power or make a name for themselves. Dip into this book anywhere and the minutiae of history leap off the page. Dip too into the author''s copious footnotes and there are gems to be mined. [A] real-life Game of Thrones . [A] compelling narrative, a massive effort of research. Often sassy, always entertaining - of the first order. To my mind, what it gives above all is perspective from which comes understanding and not a little wisdom.
" -- The Daily Mail , Book of the Week "A history of the world from the Neanderthals to Trump. It''s a rollicking tale, a kaleidoscope of savagery, sex, cruelty and chaos. By focusing on family, Montefiore provides an intimacy usually lacking in global histories. This book . has personality and a soul. It''s also outrageously funny. An enormously entertaining book." -- The Times (UK) , History Book of the Year "Deserves to be a roaring bestseller.
Think Succession meets Game of Thrones , history told through dynasty and intrigue and written with wit, insight, and more than a dash of scandal." -- The Spectator "A delightful world history, told through influential families. The device of weaving together the past using the most enduring and essential unit of human relations is inspired. It lets readers empathize with people who helped shape historical events and were shaped by them. The method also allows the author to cover every continent and era, and to give women and even children a voice and presence that they tend to be denied in more conventional histories. Despite the book''s formidable length, there is never a dull moment. The story moves at pace across terrible battles, court intrigues, personal triumphs and disasters, lurid sexual practices and hideous tortures. The author tells these stories with verve and palpable relish for the unbridled sex and inventive violence that run through them.
His character sketches are pithy and witty. The footnotes, often short essays in themselves, have the acid drollery of Edward Gibbon. Overall this book is a triumph and a delight, an epic that entertains, informs and appalls in enjoyably equal measure." -- The Economist "A history of pretty much everything everywhere from the evolution of Homo sapiens to Putin''s invasion of Ukraine. Dip into any page and you''ll find history rushing by in prose that combines clarity, liveliness and even deadpan humour with intriguing little asides a specialty. A staggering achievement." Daily Telegraph "This is not just an undoubted book of the year but of many years. It''s a treasure trove of marvellous stories, brilliantly researched and absorbingly told, fascinating characters who leap off thepages but, above all, the thing missing most in our troubled, self-absorbed society - perspective.
" Daily Mail "Poisoning, adultery, incest, murder & mayhem: Montefiore''s entertaining history of the world is told through the dynasties that helped shape humanity. Plenty of world histories have come out in the past few years but this one is different - a family history of the world. One extraordinary story follows another, all of them extraordinarily well told. It is hard to stop turning the pages. One of thecommonest criticisms of world histories . is that they are all about the vast impersonal forces. Montefiore''s family-centered alternative is the perfect antidote, reveling in the peculiarities and downright perversities of its all-too-human cast. No one who has watched TV dramas such as Succession or read Shakespeare will be surprised.
Montefiore''s vignettes are fascinating, albeit in a disturbing kind of way. There is no doubting that family is the central institution of human history and Montefiore''s overview of its most recent five millennia is entertaining and consistently interesting." Financial Times "Succeeds in sc.