{"product_id":"a-short-history-of-the-world-in-50-books","title":"A Short History of the World in 50 Books","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe book has a unique status as an \u003cb\u003eemblem\u003c\/b\u003e of human \u003cb\u003eculture\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003ecivilization\u003c\/b\u003e. It is a vessel for sharing stories, dispersing knowledge, examining the nature of our extraordinary species and imagining what lies beyond our known world. Books ultimately provide an invaluable and comprehensive record of what it means to be human.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis volume takes a curated list of \u003cb\u003efifty\u003c\/b\u003e of the most \u003cb\u003einfluential\u003c\/b\u003e books of all time, putting each into its historical context. From ancient game-changers like the \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e, through \u003cb\u003esacred texts\u003c\/b\u003e and works of \u003cb\u003ephilosophical\u003c\/b\u003e rumination by the likes of Confucius and Plato, via \u003cb\u003escientific treatises\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003ehistoric 'firsts'\u003c\/b\u003e (like the first printed book) and \u003cb\u003ecultural\u003c\/b\u003e works of enduring impact (think Shakespeare, Cervantes and Joseph Heller), these are volumes that are at once both products of their societies and vital texts in moulding those same civilizations. It would take a lifetime and more to read and absorb all of them. But this volume allows you to become ridiculously well read in just a fraction of the time. This isn't a celebration of the canon, it's about the books that have changed how we think and live - and which have \u003cb\u003echanged\u003c\/b\u003e the course of \u003cb\u003ehistory\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Michael O'mara Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42556783394994,"sku":"9781789294781","price":220.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0562\/9191\/8002\/products\/385551_63f03eeed2fa21.19541264_9781789294781.jpg?v=1676749238","url":"https:\/\/www.wordsworth.co.za\/products\/a-short-history-of-the-world-in-50-books","provider":"Wordsworth Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}