Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read!!(:
Review: One of the best books on history! I love this book! It has everything you will ever need to know about this timeframe. Just because I'm young doesn't mean it's geared for young people. If you know a lot or nothing about the period of time he covers, you will still understand, laugh, and learn.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough research and humor - who could ask for more?
Review: The Cartoon History of the Universe is an excellent series. Volume two covers history from the death of Alexander the Great through the fall of Rome and includes Chinese history up through around 0 AD.
One thing that I really like about this series is the good research that went into it. Although sources are not given in footnotes or interspersed in the text, there is a bibliography, and Gonick includes enough detail to make it possible to verify the facts he states. So basically it is well written and doesn't use being a comic book as an excuse to be sloppy. I wouldn't feel odd about citing it as a reference on a term paper, and I actually did cite this one. Another nice feature is that humor is usually in the form of little anecdotes that actually happened and not slapstick. History is full of colorful characters (Nero anyone?) and so it can be presented interestingly with a bit of effort and research. Gonick does that here.
I recommend The Cartoon History of the Universe to everybody. The humor and visuals are nice to apply to a subject which can seem like a dull stream of names and dates at times. It is a good supplement to a history class, because it covers in depth some things that tend to only be included in history classes for the sake of political correctness. For example, Gonick's history of China is in depth and covered with the same research and humor as the European history. In most history books the sections on China are very stiff and PC. To me this book is valuable if only for the section on Chinese history.
Rating:
Summary: defintly worth buying
Review: The first book continued in the same superb style as before. This ones begins with Alexander and ends with the fall of Rome, with some much appreciated side trips to India and China, two areas so often neglected by our Western educational system. Side trips are probably not the best way todescribe the "visits" to India and China, as they (especially China) take up a large portion of the book. The birth of several of the worlds major religons are here as is Confusius (not a especially flattering portrait b.t.w.) Once again the reader is provided with an excellent bibilography at the end for further research. Mr. Gonick, many, many readers such as myself eagerly await volume 3......
Rating: 
Summary: A good intro to classical (with a twist) world history
Review: This book is not as entertaining as the earlier volume. But it does cover a lot of history, and certainly is one way to get kids today learning some history. The reading list in the back of the book is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: A good intro to classical (with a twist) world history
Review: This book is not as entertaining as the earlier volume. But it does cover a lot of history, and certainly is one way to get kids today learning some history. The reading list in the back of the book is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Un libro muy bueno...
Review: This is a very good book with great graphics and very easy to follow... if you are history student is going to be very helpfull... this one is very good and only I have one question, when we are going to see Part III? But remember to buy Part I first. Si no sabes mucho inglés también es fácil de leer...
Rating:
Summary: The Best, and most easy to use history book out there.
Review: This is a WONDERFULL book. Anyone at any age can understand it, and they can all learn something new from it.
Rating:
Summary: The kind of of book you never want to loan
Review: This is one of those books that you have to tell people to buy, because if you loan it to someone, chances are you'll never see it again. As a historian who bemoans the lack of interest shown by most kids today in the subject, I applaud Larry Gonick for giving us another tool to use in trying to spark enthusiasm. The humor is great, and in some places almost bawdy, which keeps a teenager's attention far better than a list of emperors in a textbook. Example: Julius Ceasar tries to ask an intellectual question of Cleaopatra. She responds as she leans over him seductively, "You sure talk a lot for a guy with your reputation." All the scandal and sex and violence of history (and the religions that have driven it) are here, not hidden as they are in most texts. All the excitement of pop culture, but with substance behind it, not to mention an excellent bibliography. This series is the only set of books that I have known students to actually read from cover to cover without expecting a test. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in history, or anyone with a sense of humor.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Cartoon History!
Review: This second book in the Cartoon History of the Universe series is every bit as good as the first! This book is extremely well researched, and is a great overview of many of the periods and people that have shaped history. Although I would recommend that readers also take advantage of the extensive bibliography to learn more (and possibly contradictory) information on these periods/people, this book is an excellent resource. As an added bonus, it's also great fun to read!! Gonick has a knack of not taking himself (or his subjects) too seriosly, and a few noses get tweaked along the way. Overall, this is an excellent history book, and an excellent comic book. I highly recommend this book to fans of either genre!!
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Cartoon History!
Review: This second book in the Cartoon History of the Universe series is every bit as good as the first! This book is extremely well researched, and is a great overview of many of the periods and people that have shaped history. Although I would recommend that readers also take advantage of the extensive bibliography to learn more (and possibly contradictory) information on these periods/people, this book is an excellent resource. As an added bonus, it's also great fun to read!! Gonick has a knack of not taking himself (or his subjects) too seriosly, and a few noses get tweaked along the way. Overall, this is an excellent history book, and an excellent comic book. I highly recommend this book to fans of either genre!!
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