Perhaps not the best book to get all one’s history from, since it’s (to be honest) a bit hard to follow when Gonick jumps from one historical era and geographical location to another. But it’s splendid for inspired to read more history – Gonick takes a rollicking tour through places ranging from Britain to China, starting with India’s mythical past and ending off with the fall of Rome.

I liked Gonick’s story-telling from the Chinese classics. He clearly loves them and it was good to see someone introducing them to the wider audience they deserve.

Each of Gonick’s volumes contains a little bibliography too, recommending various books for further reading. Very useful.