100 Documents That Changed the World: From the Magna Carta to Wikileaks

I previously read Christianson's 100 Diagrams, which is a very well done book. 100 Documents is as good or better. He does a masterful job of editing, curating, and summarizing each of the documents selected. It is no easy task to sum up many of history's most important documents on one page each. To do so requires detailed knowledge of the subject and the ability to wordsmith with precision, and the author achieved the right balance. As Mark Twain said, it is much more difficult to write a short letter than a long one and Christianson has mastered the art of capturing the essence of complex documents or books into an instructive and pithy summary. In terms of documents selected, he shows a good balance picking those as diverse as the Quran and the Edict of Worms. He balances East and West and ranges from one of the spectrum to the other including political and scientific, economics and diplomacy, and importantly, in a world where outsized emphasis is placed on recent history, he delves into the past and highlights documents that have become less well known in our world or google searching and Wikipedia.

As the author says, we live in the age of documents. Imagine a book that feels as if it’s taking you on a journey from the beginning of history to today, based on important primary source documents, and you will have an idea of what this magnificent book is all about. It does this in a manner that is not only accessible, but thought provoking and it holds our interest from the first page. Each document comes with an explanation of what it represents and how it came to be, and there is an interesting story, told with passion, which adds up to a seamless series of brief accounts that develop themes and larger meanings. It's interesting how many of these documents continue to crop up in the news, decades or even centuries later, based on new discoveries. The illustrations, showing each artifact, are just as variegated and fascinating. This is a grand reading adventure, and I hope it gets read in schools, placed on library shelves, and ultimately, embraced by a great many discerning readers.

A marvelously diverse glimpse at some of history's most important moments. I have sent this to several friends as Xmas presents and they are as enthusiastic as Am I. In my diverse career I was a history professor for 22 years. THese documents, two pages with a brief history, bring to life much of what are dim memories. A marvelous present for everyone who seeks a brief reminder of what's important in history.

These are perfect gloves for the little girl who wants to dress up for church or a wedding. I bought them for a 3 year old and the small were a little big which is fine because she can wear them a little longer. Adorable!

A great book for everyone. Has significant information for those who want to understand the what and why's of history. It's delivered in bit sized pieces to make it easy to pick up anytime.

I found many surprising facts and perspectives throughout the book. It was a wonderful tour of the evolution of societies.

I bought this for my grandson but I looked through the book and am very happy with it.

Great book, well worth the read.

Is a Christmas Gift so can't review, looks good though

What an interesting read! So much so I bought another copy for a friend.

Ai all good

Great coffee table book

Very interesting read