Synopses & Reviews
Imagine... Witnessing the destruction of Pompeii... Accompanying Julius Caesar on his invasion of Britain... Flying with the crew of The Great Artiste en route to dropping the atomic bomb on Nagasaki...
Civilization's most momentous events come vibrantly alive in this magnificent collection of over three hundred eyewitness accounts spanning twenty-four turbulent centuries remarkable recollections of battles, atrocities, disasters, coronations, assassinations and discoveries that shaped the course of history, all related in vivid detail by observers on the scene.
Review
"This unusual 752-page anthology of eyewitness accounts invites readers to dine with Attila the Hun, gaze on daffodils with Dorothy Wordsworth, attend Gauguin's impromptu wedding to a Tonga girl and roam Africa with Stanley as he searches for Livingston....endlessly fascinating." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A great browsing collection though perhaps not for bedtime since many of the accounts deal with war, execution, and disease and also useful for teaching history or journalism." Library Journal
About the Author
John Carey is Merton Professor of English at Oxford University. A distinguished critic and broadcaster, he is the author of four previous books on history and literature, and the editor of The Faber Book of Science. He lives in England.