G. J. Whitrow (1912–2000)

I was undecided about where to count this book as the cataloging-in-publication data from the British library gave it a science classification but LOC gave it a history one. Finally settled for the history/language category. Whitrow ranges all over in this work, from Neandertal burials to the advent of the computer age (he was finishing the book at the end of 1987) and from Plato and Aristotle to Kant and Marx. This was a good overview of his topic but I think the reader needs to be at least a little familiar with world history, the sciences in general, and philosophy as well to get the most from Time in History. One thing I found interesting is his thesis that the two key inventions that led to our world seeing time as we do are the mechanical clock and the computer. Apparently even 20 years ago he was already seeing signs of the way the computer was going to affect us all.… (more)