Cartoon History of the Universe 2: Volumes 8-13 (original 1994; edition 1994)

More comic fun with history from Larry Gonick; this edition covers India, China, and ancient Rome. It's always a little hard to absorb history because there's just so damn much of it. "Cartoon History" would make great companion reading for kids in their history classes, and adults will have fun with it too, and learn something besides. ( )

Yet another fabulous addition that should be on every history lover's bookshelf. Heck, even if you don't like history, I bet you'll enjoy The Cartoon History of the Universe. This second collection of volumes includes a crash course in Hinduism (and early Buddhism and Christianity), and in Indian, Chinese, and Roman history. Quite a few wars are covered, including one of the shortest adaptations (a mere two pages) of the Mahabharata, one of the longest epic poems in the world. Gonick approaches world history with a quirky, wry sense of humor making his books engaging and amusing to read while still being informative. Granted, he doesn't delve into many of history's contradicting theories, but he does include a bibliography designed to encourage further reading.

Experiments in Reading ( )