A brief world history for young readers
A short world history for young readers is a non-fiction book for young people by the Austrian art historian Ernst Gombrich from 1935. In 39 chapters on around 300 pages - after a brief description of the development of the solar system, earth and early humans - it tells the story of mankind from the first High cultures until the end of the First World War . The focus is on the history of Europe and the Mediterranean region , India and China are only touched upon, Sub-Saharan Africa , pre-Columbian America and Australia are excluded.
The book became a success very quickly. Translations into five languages soon followed. A short time later it was banned by the National Socialists because of its "pacifist" sentiments . A few years after the end of World War II , Gombrich got the rights to his book back. But it was not until 1985 that a new edition was published, revised by the author and supplemented by an afterword. Another updated revision that Gombrich got shortly before his death in 2001 appeared in 2006.
Die Zeit wrote about the 1985 edition: “Gombrich is demanding in the matter, he shows developments, describes the turning point of times, but he chooses a simple and clear language for it. Whenever there is an opportunity, he introduces people who are characteristic of their time. The advantage of the book is, not least, that one reads this 'true story' one after the other in one go and thus gets a feeling for the sequence or simultaneity of historical events. "
To the formation
At the age of 25, Gombrich had just finished his dissertation and was unemployed when he was asked by his publisher friend Walter Neurath to examine an English history book for children and, if necessary, to translate it into German. The book had been recommended by a mutual friend who was studying medicine in London and was due to appear in the new Science for Children series. Gombrich returned the book and said, "I think I could write a better one myself."
Neurath then asked him to send him a sample chapter. The book was created under relatively great time pressure. Gombrich later said that this probably contributed to the success. In the mornings he read what he found in his parents' house on the subject. In the afternoon he went to the library and read texts from the respective epoch to give his reports greater credibility. In the evening he wrote the text. Gombrich had the illustrations done by a former riding instructor for five schillings each. He later pointed out that this is why the horses in the pictures are better drawn than the people.
According to another story, a little girl wanted to know from Gombrich what he did all day long, and Gombrich began to write down what he wanted to tell children about the knighthood. He sent this text to a publisher who wanted him to write a whole world history within six weeks. Gombrich read the manuscript out to his future wife, Ilse Heller, on a trial basis.
The first English edition appeared after his death in 2005; it was largely translated by Gombrich himself. Shortly after he had started the translation into English, he proudly said to his granddaughter Leonie: “I've done my little world history again, and there is really a lot in it. You know, I think it's good! ” It is the only one of his books that he has written in German.
expenditure
- Ernst H. Gombrich; Kat Menschik (illustrator): A short world history for young readers [introduction by Leonie Lilavati Gombrich] . 1st edition of the new edition, DuMont, Cologne 2011, ISBN 978-3-8321-9653-0 .
- Ernst H. Gombrich: A Brief World History for Young Readers. From prehistoric times to the present In: DuMont-Taschenbücher , Volume 6109, 2nd paperback new edition, DuMont , Cologne: 2011. ISBN 978-3-8321-6109-5 (The current edition of the classic, which was revised by the author himself and supplemented new edition from 2005. - since 2005 in four editions - the 4th from 2009 is still on sale: ISBN 978-3-8321-7654-9 , in the foreword Leonie Gombrich describes the genesis of the book from the family's private perspective ).
- as audio book : Christoph Waltz reads Ernst H. Gombrich: Part 1: A short world history for young readers: From the beginnings to the Middle Ages . [unabridged reading / director: Frank Bruder]. Argon , Berlin 2006. ISBN 978-3-86610-098-5 ( Audiobook , 5 CDs ); Part 2: A Brief World History for Young Readers: From the Renaissance to Today . ISBN 978-3-86610-099-2 (Audiobook, 4 CDs).
Web links
- The beginning of all history , finally back: Ernst H. Gombrich's Brief World History for Young Readers, by Elisabeth von Thadden , DIE ZEIT Nº 49/2004 on November 25, 2004.