A Little History of the World Now Imparting Hope, Knowledge, and Wonder... in English

November 30, 2005

E.H. Gombrich's A Little History of the World, a January 2006 Book Sense Pick, was first published in German in 1936. Since then, it's been translated into 17 languages and has enjoyed success around the world -- but, until now, those of us who only read English have been unable to experience Gombrich's straightforward, friendly tour of our planet's historical, social, and cultural origins.

Gombrich's granddaughter, Leonie -- his literary executor and author of the preface to the English edition, published by Yale University Press -- explained that, reflecting a Victorian outlook, "[Gombrich] couldn't see that [the book's] appeal would cross over to an English-speaking audience. He thought little English boys and girls would want to read about kings and queens."

E.H. Gombrich and grandchildren, Carl and Leonie, in 1972. Photo credit: Ilse Gombrich.

Eventually, though, Gombrich changed his mind. "England did become less insular, and people travel so much more," Leonie explained, during a phone interview from her home in London. In addition, Gombrich's wife, Ilse, encouraged him to undertake the translation project.

Leonie recalled, "Grandmother did enlist me in the kitchen, where she'd always make her approach. She'd say, 'Come and help me in the kitchen for a moment....' She was very keen for him to translate it, for obvious reasons. It was her book [too]."

Indeed, Ilse was a partner in the creation of A Little History of the World, Gombrich's first writing project and the predecessor to The Story of Art, his enormously popular book about European art history.

Gombrich completed A Little History of the World in just six weeks, when he was 26 years old. In 1935, a publisher-friend asked Gombrich, a newly minted art history Ph.D., to translate a history of the world written for children by another author. Gombrich said he could do a better job, and the publisher-friend invited him to go right ahead -- on a very short deadline.

And so he did, writing every day of the week except for Sundays -- those were the days that Gombrich and Ilse (not yet his wife) took long walks together. Gombrich read aloud passages from the book, and Ilse would offer questions and commentary.

Noted Leonie, "I wanted him to translate the book into English so I could read it -- I can't read the original German. And, it was my mission to get the book published before my grandmother died." Gombrich himself died in 2001, at age 92. Gombrich's assistant, Caroline Mustill, worked with him the final five years of his life. She worked on the translation with Gombrich and completed it after his death.

In A Little History of the World, Gombrich's voice is that of a friend who is a bit more knowledgeable than the reader -- but no matter, he's not going to lord it over us. Rather, from his "Once Upon a Time" first chapter to his later reflections on "A Truly New Age," Gombrich invites us to consider new concepts right along with him, to stretch our minds in a slightly different direction than textbooks or teachers might suggest. For example, "If you want to know where Egypt is, I suggest you ask a swallow." (Because when the weather gets cold, they fly to a place very near the Nile.)

Gombrich "loved kids," said Leonie, "their incredible brains that soak things up and won't stop inquiring." And, although the book was initially intended for young readers, it has found an audience in readers of all ages. Certainly, adult readers will find within its pages some topic or viewpoint that wasn't covered in their schooling -- or that has been forgotten by now.

John Donatich, director of Yale University Press, said from the Press' offices in Connecticut, "I've been hearing from booksellers that A Little History is hard to categorize because it appeals to readers of all ages." He added with a laugh, "Well, it belongs on the front table!"

In all seriousness, though, Donatich said that he's observed firsthand the book's broad appeal. At a trunk show at R.J. Julia Bookstore in Madison, Connecticut, where Donatich was presenting Yale's autumn offerings, "one man said he was going to buy 12 copies of A Little History for his nieces and nephews, ages eight to 24," he explained, adding "I've been reading the book with my eight-year-old daughter."

The way in which A Little History so readily lends itself to being shared, to being read aloud, owes no small debt to the way the story took shape during those long walks so many years ago. Too, Gombrich's joy in learning and discovery is evident in the text, even when he is respectfully speaking of sorrowful, terrible events in the history of the world.

Very recent events are not addressed in A Little History. The book's original German edition was republished in 1985 with a chapter that brought the book up to the then-present, but no further additions were made to the book during the translation process.

Leonie explained, "He was very free and easy about adding additional text -- for example, the Italians wanted more [Italian history when the book was published in Italy], so he put in a couple of paragraphs about Garibaldi." But, she said, "When it came to the English edition, I thought the book didn't need it, that it might mess it up. It's not a definitive history. I know he wanted to add a chapter on the Bill of Rights, but I don't know exactly what he would've said about it."

Noting the suffering that is woven throughout our history and the misery still endured by many peoples around the world, Gombrich said, "We still have the right to go on hoping for a better future." And A Little History does impart hope, along with knowledge and questions and wonder.

After all, Leonie said, "I always remember the surprise and joy [my grandfather] felt in learning something himself. If kids read about something in A Little History and they were taught something else in school, that's great. Or if the book sent a kid off on her own line of inquiry -- nothing would make [my grandfather] happier. That's the point of the book, to get the reader interested. He would've loved that." --Linda M. Castellitto

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