Kayote B. (kayote) reviewed on 2/7/2009 + 254 more book reviews

One Round little dude with a time machine of history books (some overdue), dinosaurs split by continental drift, Helen of Troy as a goose face, and Pericles saying "Eat your veggies, Athenians!".

Yep, it's The Cartoon History of the Universe (well, from the Big Bang to Alexander the Great at least).

History, in graphical form with some commentary. Footnotes of commentary with some graphics. It wanders around Europe and upper Africa and parts of Asia (China is left for a later volume) trying to sort out who did what to (or with) whom to when.

My complaints are minor, and focus early on in the book. To the author's credit, he carefully brings in women's history as well, such as the fact she had tools they just were not made of stone so did not survive for digging up (he even references Descent of Woman, one of my favorite books, which gives him extra brownie points).

The discussion about children belonging to the mother's clan was specifically interesting. However, it made the graphics in the rest of the pre-history section a bit glaring. Other than where he is carefully discussing women, men take the center stage in the graphics. The worst is two clans meeting and one giving the other a marriageable daughter (having offered rocks or the daughter and the other man saying he already had rocks). If women's line determined clan belonging, and tended to run things at camp.....then it makes a LOT more sense for it to be SONS exchanged, not DAUGHTERS, and for the women arrange the exchanging!

Taken as a whole, the book is excellently done. A lot of information crammed into a small space, still entertaining and cartoon-y. (Egyptian hieroglyphics fit right in). Well worth reading, whether you happen to know that part of history or not. Entertaining, and you'll find you've learned something by the end!

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