The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part 1: From Columbus to the U.S. Constitution (Pt. 1) [Paperback] Author: Larry Gonick | Language: English | ISBN:
0060760044 | Format: PDF, EPUB
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The Cartoon History of the Modern World is a wickedly funny take on modern history. It is essentially a complete and up–to–date course in college level Modern World History, but presented as a graphic novel. In an engaging and humorous graphic style, Larry Gonick covers the history, personalities and big topics that have shaped our universe over the past five centuries, including the Industrial Revolution, the American Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the evolution of political, social, economic, and scientific thought, Communism, Fascism, Nazism, the Cold War, Globalization––and much more.
Volume I of the Cartoon History of the Modern World picks up from Gonick's award winning Cartoon History of the Universe Series. That series began with the Big Bang and ended with Christopher Columbus sailing for the New World. This book starts off with peoples that Columbus "discovered" and ends with the U.S. Revolution.
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- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Collins Reference; Pt. 1 edition (December 26, 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060760044
- ISBN-13: 978-0060760045
- Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
The Good: The story redistributes usual takes on the Age of Exploration by focusing on Cortes and Meso-American while taking some undeserved focus off Columbus and Magellan, both of whom are traditionally used as landmarks in the timeline. The Lutheran Reformation and the effects it creates are explained fairly well for the uninitiated as well as the first two modern European attempts at republicanism, namely Cromwell's Commonwealth (although it was almost a veiled monarchy) and the Netherlands. The sections about the intricate politics during Carlos V's reign was an especially nice part of this.
The coverage of America's effect on European politics, as well as India's role in all this is a VERY welcome departure from typical accounts, which shows that Mr. Gonick's work isn't revisionist at all- it's accurately world-oriented. But credit is still given to the West's new Enlightenment-era thinkers as well as the more immediate effects of their theorizing, something that many historians seem to trip on.
The Bad: It was a shame to see less coverage of Portugal's (and later other European countries) effects on Africa, which sets the stage for almost everything that happens in Africa from this point on. That Mr. Gonick didn't cover the further spread of the Ming, ongoing contact with the West, the beginning of the Manchu people, or the short but very interesting flare-up of Western culture and technology in Japan seems a terrible shame even if these will be topics covered in the next volume.
A few more Enlightenment thinkers could have been more closely examined as well as the noticeable absence of Russia and Eastern Europe in all this commotion.
When "Cartoon History of the Universe Part III" closed with "Next: Quetzalcoatl!" many probably didn't realize they were teetering on the edge of a 5-year cliff hanger. The next installment, namely this one, didn't appear until 2007. But this fits right in line with the monumental nature and timeline of the "Cartoon History" series itself. Those who bought the first book way back in 1990 aged almost twenty years before the series' end (which finally happened last year, but more on that another time). In any case, a few shockers awaited nail-biters clawing at book store doors for "The Cartoon History of the Universe IV." First, had they asked for that title the book store sales clerks would think them insane. No such book exists. For reasons that remain a little inexplicable, the series title changed to "The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part I." Now where's the continuity in that? Gonick, the almost insanely persistent author of this series, claimed it was the publisher's idea. Well, how can starving artists disagree with the hand that feeds? So it has a new title, many can deal with that. The biggest mandible yanker, however, was the size, or lack of it. The previous three books were giant in comparison with the almost meager new installment (which should be called book IV, nyah! Blah!). Consequently, the art doesn't leap out like before and eyestrain may occur when scouring some of the not-to-be-missed marginal details that dot almost every page. Though things seemed less than ideal, the best parts were not missing. The new installment still was a funny, sad, poingnant, insightful and dang well-drawn comic with real educational value. Parents the world over (except in Japan) recoil at the very concept.
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