A History of the World in 100 Objects

出版者:Allen Lane

作者:Neil MacGregor

页数:732

出版时间:2010-10-25

价格:GBP 30.00

装帧:Hardcover

isbn号码:9781846144134

具体描述

'In this book, we travel back in time and across the globe, to see how we humans have shaped our world and been shaped by it over the past two million years. The story is told exclusively through the things that humans have made - all sorts of things, carefully designed and then either admired and preserved or used, broken and thrown away. I've chosen just a hundred objects from different points on our journey - from a cooking pot to a golden galleon, from a Stone Age tool to a credit card, and each object comes from the collection of the British Museum' - [from the introduction]. This book takes a dramatically original approach to the history of humanity, using objects which previous civilisations have left behind them, often accidentally, as prisms through which we can explore past worlds and the lives of the men and women who lived in them. The book's range is enormous. It begins with one of the earliest surviving objects made by human hands, a chopping tool from the Olduvai gorge in Africa, and ends with an object from the 21st century which represents the world we live in today. Neil MacGregor's aim is not simply to describe these remarkable things, but to show us their significance - how a stone pillar tells us about a great Indian emperor preaching tolerance to his people, how Spanish pieces of eight tell us about the beginning of a global currency or how an early Victorian tea-set tells us about the impact of empire. Each chapter immerses the reader in a past civilisation accompanied by an exceptionally well-informed guide. Seen through this lens, history is a kaleidoscope - shifting, interconnected, constantly surprising, and shaping our world today in ways that most of us have never imagined. An intellectual and visual feast, it is one of the most engrossing and unusual history books published in years.

作者简介

尼尔•麦格雷戈 // Neil MacGregor

大英博物馆馆长，伦敦古文物学会成员，英国著名艺术史学者。

1946年出生于苏格兰格拉斯哥，在牛津大学研修德文与法文，后在法国巴黎高等师范学校攻读哲学，之后在爱丁堡大学修习法律，1972年取得苏格兰律师执照。1973年在英国首屈一指的艺术史学院考陶德艺术学院研修艺术史。

1975年至1981年，在英国雷丁大学教授艺术与建筑史。1981年至1987年，主编英语世界历史最悠久的美术及装饰艺术期刊《伯林顿杂志》。1987年至2002年，主持英国国家美术馆。2002年至今，任大英博物馆馆长。2010年，获英国女王颁赠功绩勋章。

主要作品有《目睹拯救：艺术作品中的基督形象》《大师之作的诞生》《莎士比亚的动荡世界》等。

读后感

如果想講述整個世界的歷史與文化，不過於偏袒人類某一族群，就不能光靠文字史料。因為文字歷史的期間較短、且多半受權力者影響而失其客觀性。而用物品來述說歷史，正是博物館存在的理由。從文物角度來解讀世界歷史文化，應更能貼近史實，這便是本書的特色。 唯解讀歷史，往往要...  

我总是被“全球通史”“世界简史”这样的名字吓到，觉得要用短短一部书讲完全人类的历史，这该是多大的工程啊！同时，我又有种贪便宜走捷径的心理，光读一部书就了解人类的历史，多划算啊！这样的书想必是提纲挈领重点突出的。——虽然我常常鄙视“一生不可不读的十本世界名著...  

在开篇之初，作者便提到：“重访一个儿时参观过的博物馆，许多人会感慨我们自身变化之大，而物品却一如既往。”作为中国读者，恐怕很难有机会二次游览大英博物馆，唯一能够体会作者心境的途径，大概就是先读读这本《大英博物馆》，然后当有机会去实地游览的时候体会一下重访之...  

用户评价

对非洲，大洋洲什么的实在是没有兴趣。。。。

读了半年…

选的物件绝大多数都没听说过，因此这回长了很多知识，开了眼界。第99物是信用卡，最后一物是太阳能台灯。

#每周一本英文书# 2018_18/54，配合BBC广播节目一起，随着馆藏器物一起回望过去。

听完了整个BBC100期节目，讲的真心挺好，虽然很浅，但是对大多数人很适用了。