The Cartoon History of the Universe III: From the Rise of Arabia to the Renaissance
Written by: Larry Gonick
Editorial Reviews:
An irreverent survey in comics spanning world history from the birth of Islam to the Byzantine Empire to the Italian Renaissance.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: The educational comic: oxymoron no more!!
Comment: Comics, an almost ancient medium, somehow endure in our digital era of short attention spans. After all, they do involve reading, an anathema in our instantaneous age. Nonetheless, comics seem to peacefully coexist with the burgeoning gaming community. Almost every decent sized city has at least one comic/gaming shop overflowing with action figures, busts of the superheroes of modern mythology, gaming modules, transcendent dice as varied as snowflakes, terrifying fantasy weapons, and walls upon walls of comics. Unfortunately, many see such places as hangouts for misfits or hopelessly lonely crackly-voiced teenage boys (the depiction of women in many comics, breasts swelling like Olympus Mons, doesn't help to quiet the skeptics). The joke amongst the uninitiated is that women would rather run naked through shopping malls than be caught dead in a comic shop. Aren't stereotypes fun? Those that blithely dismiss this anachronistic microcosm miss out on a shocking variety of human imagination: comics for boys, girls, women, men, comics in Japanese, Spanish, English, Korean, cute comics, violent comics, comics about outer space, medieval warriors, amorphous creatures, Japanese office workers, talking animals with weapons, or any countless permutations of infinite topics. The world of comics remains as diverse as the world of fiction itself. But not all comics are fiction. That's where Larry Gonick's "Cartoon History of the Universe" comes in. Within this undefinable morass of themes, Gonick has triumphed as the lord of non-fiction comics. He started with science comics (statistics, the computer, chemistry, physics, etc.) and slowly worked his way towards monumental themes. Such light, delicate topics such as the history of the entire universe. Did he check his head before setting out on this venture? Could we consider Gonick the King Ludwig II of the comic world and this project his Neuschwanstein? If so, his madness has definite method: Gonick has turned the stereotype of "fluff dime store comic" on its head. He has made the impossible a reality, namely, the dreadful bane of educational systems everywhere, the scourge of scolding parents, the bubbling cauldron of schoolmarm sin, the apogee of intellectual intolerance. In short, the "educational comic." Oxymoron no more.
This third volume of Gonick's magnum opus appeared in 2002, eight years after Volume II. Many thought that the project had collapsed on itself like a beached whale or a poorly conceived Gothic cathedral. But no. Almost a decade later, Volume III picks up right where Volume II left off. To summarize: Volume I (1990) covered the inconceivable time span from the Big Bang to Alexander the Great. Volume II (1994) traipsed through Chinese, Indian, and Roman history. It ends at the tumbling of the western Roman empire. Volume III grabs the almost faded torch and thrusts right into the 7th century rise of Islam. From a pile of poop in a Yemenese church ("Ewww... it ithn't jutht pith..."), to the voluminous conquests of the Umayyads, to the last Caliph in 13th century Baghdad (executed by the Mongols), the early history of Islamic conquest unfolds. Another section covers African history by tracing the steps of the Bantu people (in some circles a derogatory term), the multi-century pummeling of the Sahara into a desert, the Nubians and Ethiopians, the arrival of Islam (with some amusing asides of Muslim diplomats facing the unclothed Sudanese court; "Look at him sweat..."), Siljimasa, and the 9th century Zanj slave revolt. Next, the Mongol empire emerges from "the middle of somewhere" with the rise of Jenghis Khan to the conquests of Kublai Khan (resulting in the Chinese Yuan dynasty and the largest empire in human history). Along the way, early Chinese, Japanese, and Indian history skirts by (the Buddhists apparently had some trouble competing with the... um... more appealing parts of Hinduism). The rest of the book covers Constantinople (Byzantium), Russia, Moorish Spain, England (the Norman conquest), the Crusades, the plague years, early Renaissance, and how the wiles of a Portuguese fish merchant led to the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. That's far more than one brain can handle.
If this series suffers from anything, it's information overload. Regardless, readers will get a 10,000 foot view of the world's major historical events and cultures. This volume in particular covers eras largely unknown in the west, sometimes referred to as the "Middle Ages" (for Europeans, between the "classic" ages of Greece and the Enlightenment). Not to mention that many Americans know nothing of Islamic and African history. Expect the unfamiliar, but expect to learn much. Take frequent brain breaks. Comics can tax the intellect, as the series proves beyond question. Volume IV of Gonick's masterpiece appeared in 2007 (under the new title of "The Cartoon History of the Modern World"). Following the law of induction we should expect the final volume to appear anytime between 2012 and 2015. The universe will then have adequate coverage in comic form. Comics, and the universe, will be better for it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun and Brilliant at the Same Time - Great for the History Buff
Comment: I first discovered the first two volumes of Gonick's "Cartoon History of the Universe" while in middle school, and have been a fan ever since. His unique mix of "underground"-style black and white comics illustration with exceptionally researched, erudite and entertaining explanations of the often complex nature of world history, is refreshing and worthy of a look form anyone interested in history from the novice to the expert.
Vol. 3 begins with a history of the Middle East and its rise as a world power from the period circa 600-on; he continues with a look at Western Europe, Africa, China, Central Asia, Japan, Byzantium, and others, hitting the major points of history, and discussing them with a tongue-in-cheek style while still being sensitive and taking a global perspective. This volume, essentially, is like an early-modern history class in a book, told by a professor with a genius for synthesis and wit. What is perhaps most remarkable is Gonick's singular ability to range widely over a literally global subject, and still being able to make connections among world events thousands of miles away, showing how history is connected more intimately than we might think. Some might not take this book seriously due to the fact that it is a graphic novel, but it is worthy of serious thought and serious consideration. You'll laugh and learn at the same time - and the information you will learn will stick. Brilliant.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Leaves out important information for comic effect
Comment: No-one can seriously expect to learn accurate history from a comic book that deals with so much material. However, I was quite disappointed to find that facts appear to have been selectively left out to produce a rationalized yet absurdist view of the universe to get laughs. I admit, I laughed in many places, except where the history was actually important to know with precision. Considering the increasing importance of history in the 21st century, this comedy may come at a price, particularly when this book is selling well and many readers may not already know any of the history covered before buying this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: There is only one thing wrong--
Comment: There is only one thing wrong with "The Cartoon History Of The Universe".
Each volume has a 7 to 10 year wait between them!
However, they ARE excellent.
A fine, well-researched history, presented in a fun graphic style.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another goodie
Comment: History textbooks have notoriously been dreary articles that students have to slog through, often with their noses held tightly. Larry Gonick is the cure. His three volumes of the Cartoon History of the Universe has it all--historical accuracy, depth, breadth and humor. The cartoons are hilarious in themselves but they convey a deeper purpose, to show the sweep of history and the complexity of it.
I think every high school World History teacher should use the series as texts and as the only texts. The volumes show that skepticism about history is not cynicism and that a lot of what happened through out recorded history is somewhat absurd. This is itself an important lesson.
I am trained as an historian and I wish I had had these books available when I was in high school. Heck, I discovered them as a graduate student and they were still coherent and useful as background to my studies.
Format: Bargain Price
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 300
Publication Date: 2002-10-21
 | Format: Paperback List Price: $21.95 Our Price: $17.40 Your Save: $ 4.55 ( 21% ) Availability: N/A Average Customer Rating:  |
Editorial Reviews:
An irreverent survey in comics spanning world history from the birth of Islam to the Byzantine Empire to the Italian Renaissance.
Larry Gonick's celebrated series The Cartoon History of the Universe is a unique fusion of world history and the comics medium, a work of serious scholarship and a masterpiece of popular literature. Praised by historians as a narrative and interpretive tour de force, Gonick's clever illustrations deliver important information with a deceptively light tone, teaching us about the people and events that have shaped our world.
This long-awaited new volume covers the Middle Ages around the globe, including the origin and spread of Islam; West Africa and the cross-Saharan trade; Central Asia and the Byzantine Empire; the European Dark Ages and the Crusades; the Mongol conquests; the Black Death; the Ottoman Empire; the Italian Renaissance; and the rise of Spain, leading up to Columbus's departure for the New World. Highlighting key events and retrieving oft-neglected historical connections, Gonick offers an historical survey that is at once multicultural, humanistic, skeptical, and laugh-out-loud funny.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: The educational comic: oxymoron no more!!
Comment: Comics, an almost ancient medium, somehow endure in our digital era of short attention spans. After all, they do involve reading, an anathema in our instantaneous age. Nonetheless, comics seem to peacefully coexist with the burgeoning gaming community. Almost every decent sized city has at least one comic/gaming shop overflowing with action figures, busts of the superheroes of modern mythology, gaming modules, transcendent dice as varied as snowflakes, terrifying fantasy weapons, and walls upon walls of comics. Unfortunately, many see such places as hangouts for misfits or hopelessly lonely crackly-voiced teenage boys (the depiction of women in many comics, breasts swelling like Olympus Mons, doesn't help to quiet the skeptics). The joke amongst the uninitiated is that women would rather run naked through shopping malls than be caught dead in a comic shop. Aren't stereotypes fun? Those that blithely dismiss this anachronistic microcosm miss out on a shocking variety of human imagination: comics for boys, girls, women, men, comics in Japanese, Spanish, English, Korean, cute comics, violent comics, comics about outer space, medieval warriors, amorphous creatures, Japanese office workers, talking animals with weapons, or any countless permutations of infinite topics. The world of comics remains as diverse as the world of fiction itself. But not all comics are fiction. That's where Larry Gonick's "Cartoon History of the Universe" comes in. Within this undefinable morass of themes, Gonick has triumphed as the lord of non-fiction comics. He started with science comics (statistics, the computer, chemistry, physics, etc.) and slowly worked his way towards monumental themes. Such light, delicate topics such as the history of the entire universe. Did he check his head before setting out on this venture? Could we consider Gonick the King Ludwig II of the comic world and this project his Neuschwanstein? If so, his madness has definite method: Gonick has turned the stereotype of "fluff dime store comic" on its head. He has made the impossible a reality, namely, the dreadful bane of educational systems everywhere, the scourge of scolding parents, the bubbling cauldron of schoolmarm sin, the apogee of intellectual intolerance. In short, the "educational comic." Oxymoron no more.
This third volume of Gonick's magnum opus appeared in 2002, eight years after Volume II. Many thought that the project had collapsed on itself like a beached whale or a poorly conceived Gothic cathedral. But no. Almost a decade later, Volume III picks up right where Volume II left off. To summarize: Volume I (1990) covered the inconceivable time span from the Big Bang to Alexander the Great. Volume II (1994) traipsed through Chinese, Indian, and Roman history. It ends at the tumbling of the western Roman empire. Volume III grabs the almost faded torch and thrusts right into the 7th century rise of Islam. From a pile of poop in a Yemenese church ("Ewww... it ithn't jutht pith..."), to the voluminous conquests of the Umayyads, to the last Caliph in 13th century Baghdad (executed by the Mongols), the early history of Islamic conquest unfolds. Another section covers African history by tracing the steps of the Bantu people (in some circles a derogatory term), the multi-century pummeling of the Sahara into a desert, the Nubians and Ethiopians, the arrival of Islam (with some amusing asides of Muslim diplomats facing the unclothed Sudanese court; "Look at him sweat..."), Siljimasa, and the 9th century Zanj slave revolt. Next, the Mongol empire emerges from "the middle of somewhere" with the rise of Jenghis Khan to the conquests of Kublai Khan (resulting in the Chinese Yuan dynasty and the largest empire in human history). Along the way, early Chinese, Japanese, and Indian history skirts by (the Buddhists apparently had some trouble competing with the... um... more appealing parts of Hinduism). The rest of the book covers Constantinople (Byzantium), Russia, Moorish Spain, England (the Norman conquest), the Crusades, the plague years, early Renaissance, and how the wiles of a Portuguese fish merchant led to the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. That's far more than one brain can handle.
If this series suffers from anything, it's information overload. Regardless, readers will get a 10,000 foot view of the world's major historical events and cultures. This volume in particular covers eras largely unknown in the west, sometimes referred to as the "Middle Ages" (for Europeans, between the "classic" ages of Greece and the Enlightenment). Not to mention that many Americans know nothing of Islamic and African history. Expect the unfamiliar, but expect to learn much. Take frequent brain breaks. Comics can tax the intellect, as the series proves beyond question. Volume IV of Gonick's masterpiece appeared in 2007 (under the new title of "The Cartoon History of the Modern World"). Following the law of induction we should expect the final volume to appear anytime between 2012 and 2015. The universe will then have adequate coverage in comic form. Comics, and the universe, will be better for it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun and Brilliant at the Same Time - Great for the History Buff
Comment: I first discovered the first two volumes of Gonick's "Cartoon History of the Universe" while in middle school, and have been a fan ever since. His unique mix of "underground"-style black and white comics illustration with exceptionally researched, erudite and entertaining explanations of the often complex nature of world history, is refreshing and worthy of a look form anyone interested in history from the novice to the expert.
Vol. 3 begins with a history of the Middle East and its rise as a world power from the period circa 600-on; he continues with a look at Western Europe, Africa, China, Central Asia, Japan, Byzantium, and others, hitting the major points of history, and discussing them with a tongue-in-cheek style while still being sensitive and taking a global perspective. This volume, essentially, is like an early-modern history class in a book, told by a professor with a genius for synthesis and wit. What is perhaps most remarkable is Gonick's singular ability to range widely over a literally global subject, and still being able to make connections among world events thousands of miles away, showing how history is connected more intimately than we might think. Some might not take this book seriously due to the fact that it is a graphic novel, but it is worthy of serious thought and serious consideration. You'll laugh and learn at the same time - and the information you will learn will stick. Brilliant.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Leaves out important information for comic effect
Comment: No-one can seriously expect to learn accurate history from a comic book that deals with so much material. However, I was quite disappointed to find that facts appear to have been selectively left out to produce a rationalized yet absurdist view of the universe to get laughs. I admit, I laughed in many places, except where the history was actually important to know with precision. Considering the increasing importance of history in the 21st century, this comedy may come at a price, particularly when this book is selling well and many readers may not already know any of the history covered before buying this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: There is only one thing wrong--
Comment: There is only one thing wrong with "The Cartoon History Of The Universe".
Each volume has a 7 to 10 year wait between them!
However, they ARE excellent.
A fine, well-researched history, presented in a fun graphic style.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another goodie
Comment: History textbooks have notoriously been dreary articles that students have to slog through, often with their noses held tightly. Larry Gonick is the cure. His three volumes of the Cartoon History of the Universe has it all--historical accuracy, depth, breadth and humor. The cartoons are hilarious in themselves but they convey a deeper purpose, to show the sweep of history and the complexity of it.
I think every high school World History teacher should use the series as texts and as the only texts. The volumes show that skepticism about history is not cynicism and that a lot of what happened through out recorded history is somewhat absurd. This is itself an important lesson.
I am trained as an historian and I wish I had had these books available when I was in high school. Heck, I discovered them as a graduate student and they were still coherent and useful as background to my studies.
Technical Details
Binding: PaperbackFormat: Bargain Price
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 300
Publication Date: 2002-10-21
