A little history of the world: Well, that was an odd one!

A little bit of background📃

I readily admit that I had no idea about A little history of the world before purchasing it to add to my library of history texts. I was looking for something that would give me a general overview of the history of humankind - a big ask, I know - and this book looked like it would fit the bill. I'm kind of glad I didn't know its backstory before reading it, as the book is well...quirky..... Read on for my review.

A little history of the world | Published January 1936 | Read February 2026

The author✏️

Ernst Gombrich was born in Vienna in 1909 and died in London on 2001. He was an art historian with a doctorate in the subject. Sir Gombrich was the author of numerous books on cultural and art history. A little history of the world was published in 1936 but the Nazi regime banned the book for its pacifist messaging. Gombrich, who was Jewish, then fled Austria for the United Kingdom. During the war he worked for the BBC World Service, monitoring German radio broadcasts. Professor Gombrich enjoyed a distinguished career at the Warburg Institute in London following the war, rising to the position of Professor of the History of the Classical Tradition. He received a CBE in 1966 and was knighted in 1972.

The subject matterℹ️

Professor Gombrich was invited in 1935 to write a history of the world for younger readers. The book was published in German and achieved much success, eventually being translated into 17 languages. Gombrich revised the book towards the end of his life and an English translation was published before his death. A little history of the world tells the story of humankind from the stone age to the atomic bomb, largely focussing on wars and conquests. This is a text dominated not by dates and facts, but by the swathe of the human experience across the centuries. While the book is light on science, technology and art, it does give a broad-brush overview of significant historical moments and serves as reminder of the frailties of human behaviour.

My thoughts on the book💭

I'm still not sure how I feel about A little history of the world some months after I have finished reading it. I've looked at the reviewer comments on Goodreads and, unsurprisingly, the book is quite polarising. Its criticisms fall broadly into two areas. The first is the book's tone and let me say that readers either love it or hate it! The second criticism is Gombrich's Eurocentric worldview that omits huge swathes of significant historical developments or only gives these developments passing treatment. Tied to this criticism is Gombrich's sanitisation of the horrific injustices suffered throughout history, largely perpetrated towards indigenous peoples and those who practise faiths outside of Christianity.

I do agree with the above criticisms, but I also think it's important to view the book in context. Gombrich wrote it in 1935 for younger readers and doesn't hide the fact that he takes a Eurocentric view. The jaunty prose and light treatment of some parts of history may seem condescending and irritating to adult readers. Those are valid responses, but kind of a moot point. The book is easy to read and not weighed down by dates and details that often plague historical texts. I did baulk at some of Gombrich's assessments, but I tried to remember that he was only 26 when he wrote the book without the benefit of a 2026 worldview. The book does come across as anachronistic in places, but I guess that's understandable. The final chapter, written for the revised edition some 50 years after the book's original publication, provides interesting and helpful context to Gombrich's life, his observations in the book, and what he has learnt about greed and power since he first wrote A little history of the world.

I wonder, as I have seen a Goodreads reviewer comment, whether the glossing over of the worst of human behaviour was for the benefit of the younger audience. Gombrich was Jewish and he escaped from Austria before the Holocaust. One hopes that he was not a man of prejudice based on his experiences. His decision to downplay the suffering of indigenous peoples in colonised lands may not work for some readers, but perhaps it is somewhat understandable, again viewing the book in context.

In sum📝

I am still searching for a single text that provides me with a general overview of the history of the world that is digestible but comprehensive and honest and unbiased. I don't think that A little history of the world is that book, but I still learned a lot from reading it. I found something of meaning in the way Gombrich explores critical points in history, joins the dots, and makes some rather poignant observations on the best and the worst of the human condition.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐