History in Quotations

Contemporary Review, July, 2004

History in Quotations. M. J. Cohen and John Major. Cassell. [pounds sterling]30.00. xxviii 1008. ISBN 0-304-35387-6. This collection of some 9,000 quotations has been assembled by a team of thirty-seven contributors and is given an imprimatur by Simon Schama. All were selected because they 'shed light on what are generally accepted to be the important events, ideas, issues and personalities of world history'.

The quotations cited cover 5,000 years of man's history and the whole globe. There are quotes about events made at the time of speaking or writing and quotes which look back. Selections include the words of unknown speakers as well as the famous. Aimed at the general reader rather than the historian, the selections are in theory organised round 90 'themes' although most seem to be areas or eras such as 'The Tigris and Euphrates, c.3200-c.500 BC' or 'The Enlightenment', 'America and the World' or 'Britain since 1945'. The editors have included some 'glosses' where explanations are required. This was a brave undertaking and will undoubtedly prove helpful to readers seeking insights into the past.