Reviews
J. R. McNeillThe New York Times Book ReviewStartling comparisons and imaginative characterizations...Fernández-Armesto wanders around the globe and across 10,000 years of history putting things together that by conventional methods are always kept apart..., J. R. McNeill The New York Times Book Review Startling comparisons and imaginative characterizations...Fernández-Armesto wanders around the globe and across 10,000 years of history putting things together that by conventional methods are always kept apart..., John Gamino The Dallas Morning News Brilliant and brilliantly provocative...Mr. Fernndez-Armesto [is] the best candidate we have to succeed Toynbee., George ScialabbaThe Boston GlobeThis is a history that highlights not warfare but farming, fishing, hunting, and herding...Civilizations does this so engagingly and so compellingly that many of its readers will henceforth find themselves thinking about the past in the latter categories...Stupendously informative and elegantly written, Civilizations is an embarrassment of riches., George Scialabba The Boston Globe This is a history that highlights not warfare but farming, fishing, hunting, and herding... Civilizations does this so engagingly and so compellingly that many of its readers will henceforth find themselves thinking about the past in the latter categories...Stupendously informative and elegantly written, Civilizations is an embarrassment of riches., Douglas Brinkley Director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies and Professor of History at the University of New Orleans and author of American Heritage History of the United States One can only marvel at the comprehensive majesty of historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto's epic Civilizations: Culture, Ambition, and the Transformation of Nature. Whether he is writing about Mississippi mound-builders, or Ice Age Europe or Renaissance Venice, Fernández-Armesto dazzles the reader with his phenomenal ability to make the past come alive. Also, this is a grand, sweeping narrative which defies categorization., John Gamino The Dallas Morning News Brilliant and brilliantly provocative...Mr. Fernández-Armesto [is] the best candidate we have to succeed Toynbee., A.C. Grayling Financial Times In this large, bold, richly freighted book, Felipe Fernández-Armesto offers a new perspective on world history by sketching a bird's-eye view of civilizations, defined as the ways humans have acted upon, and changed, habitats to suit their needs. His approach is revolutionary...His stylishly readable prose and witty perceptions are a treat, as is the wealth of literary allusion...It is impressive how accurate and judicious he succeeds in being despite the extraordinary breadth of the book. Every page is lively with detail and opinion., John GaminoThe Dallas Morning NewsBrilliant and brilliantly provocative...Mr. Fernández-Armesto [is] the best candidate we have to succeed Toynbee., J. R. McNeill The New York Times Book Review Startling comparisons and imaginative characterizations...Fernndez-Armesto wanders around the globe and across 10,000 years of history putting things together that by conventional methods are always kept apart..., A.C. GraylingFinancial TimesIn this large, bold, richly freighted book, Felipe Fernández-Armesto offers a new perspective on world history by sketching a bird's-eye view of civilizations, defined as the ways humans have acted upon, and changed, habitats to suit their needs. His approach is revolutionary...His stylishly readable prose and witty perceptions are a treat, as is the wealth of literary allusion...It is impressive how accurate and judicious he succeeds in being despite the extraordinary breadth of the book. Every page is lively with detail and opinion., Douglas BrinkleyDirector of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies and Professor of History at the University of New Orleans and author ofAmerican Heritage History of the United StatesOne can only marvel at the comprehensive majesty of historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto's epicCivilizations: Culture, Ambition, and the Transformation of Nature.Whether he is writing about Mississippi mound-builders, or Ice Age Europe or Renaissance Venice, Fernández-Armesto dazzles the reader with his phenomenal ability to make the past come alive. Also, this is a grand, sweeping narrative which defies categorization., Timothy MoThe IndependentGrand comparative histories have become respectable again. Felipe Fernández-Armesto'sCivilizationsis the latest bravura step in this rehabilitation. Do not expect a neutral account of the ascent of man from barbarism. This is a contentious, provocative work, full of utterly original and sometimes perverse perspectives., Timothy Mo The Independent Grand comparative histories have become respectable again. Felipe Fernández-Armesto's Civilizations is the latest bravura step in this rehabilitation. Do not expect a neutral account of the ascent of man from barbarism. This is a contentious, provocative work, full of utterly original and sometimes perverse perspectives., George ScialabbaThe Boston GlobeThis is a history that highlights not warfare but farming, fishing, hunting, and herding...Civilizationsdoes this so engagingly and so compellingly that many of its readers will henceforth find themselves thinking about the past in the latter categories...Stupendously informative and elegantly written,Civilizationsis an embarrassment of riches., Neal Ascherson The Observer He is the most urbane of historians. This is one of those encyclopedia-scale tomes, but whenever the going gets tough the author jumps forward to charm his reader: witty, sometimes sharply original, often in a gust of rage. And at the end of this long display of learning and passionate intelligence, he sums up: "If you misrepresent civilization as progressive, you are bound to disappoint people; scratch it and the savagery bleeds out.", Neal AschersonThe ObserverHe is the most urbane of historians. This is one of those encyclopedia-scale tomes, but whenever the going gets tough the author jumps forward to charm his reader: witty, sometimes sharply original, often in a gust of rage. And at the end of this long display of learning and passionate intelligence, he sums up: "If you misrepresent civilization as progressive, you are bound to disappoint people; scratch it and the savagery bleeds out."
