Soon after its publication, “A Little History of the World” (originally written in German) would be banned by the Nazis for being “too pacifist.” By then the author had fled Austria and settled in the United Kingdom. In a way, the book can thus be compared to a string of blog entries, written in a direct, informal and opinionated way, accessible to a broad readership. Gombrich produced a chapter a day – researching during the day, writing at night – and reading the week’s results to his future wife. Making matters worse, the publisher asked him to finish the manuscript in six weeks. Gombrich, an unemployed 26-year old historian in Vienna, faced in 1935. 304 pages, U$ 10.93 ( Summarizing the history of the world in one small book in a way that is accessible and interesting to children between 9 and 13 years seems like an impossible task – yet it is precisely this challenge E.H.
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