Review: The World: A Family History

The World: A Family History by Simon Sebag Montefiore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The World - Simon Sebag Montefiore

"A world historian, wrote al-Masudi in ninth-century Baghdad, is like ‘a man who, having found pearls of all kinds and colours, gathers them together into a necklace and makes them into an ornament that its possessor guards with great care’."

Simon Sebag Montefiore’s "The World" is an ambitious and exhaustive chronicle that spans the vast expanse of human history, from the dawn of modern human civilization to the recent conflict in Ukraine. While Montefiore himself concedes that "there is such a thing as too much history," this hefty tome is packed with fascinating and delightful historical pearls that make the lengthy read worthwhile. Some of the connections are surprising, and some of the chance events have resulted in the Geo-political map we use today.

The book is full of etymology - from how writing developed to how words formed around the objects we manipulate, and the people we become:

‘Around 3100, the people of Uruk.. may have invented writing, initially pictograms, but then took to marking clay with wedge-end of a reed, a process that we call cuneiform, which means wedge-shaped. The first named people in history are an accountant, a slave master and two enslaved persons.’

‘Soon, the wheel was developed in Ukraine/Russia, where the first linguistic references to wheels appear’

‘They prided themselves on manners and control, and were so curt that the word laconic comes from Laconia, the Spartan homeland’

‘In 621, a nobleman Drakon drafted the first laws in his own blood… draconian code’

‘..voters could secretly write a politician’s name on a pottery shard (ostrakon) to sentence him to exile - ostracism - for ten years’

‘..candidate, from candidatus, meaning a man who wore the white toga of election campaigns’.

‘the word cabal derives from the ministry led by [the Duke of] Buckingham (an acronym from the names Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley and Lauderdale).’

The book's sweeping narrative is underpinned by the recurring themes of families and tribes, reflecting on how the preservation of genes through hereditary lines - particularly in progenitor royal families - have shaped our world. Some lights flash only briefly - after all for most of the history, at least eight thousand years, life expectancy was around thirty years. The influence of others, like the deformed-chin Habsburg’s and the Khans, illuminate the world over many centuries. Montefiore takes pride in introducing us subtly to the ancestors of his own family, intertwined with the influential Rothschilds, which adds a personal touch to the grand historical tapestry.

A darker undercurrent runs through the book, exploring man's inhumanity to man, a grim reminder of the savagery that has marred our past. Montefiore meticulously records how hatred and enmity have led to horrific acts of mass violence and atrocities, whether through wars, purges, slavery, or the persecution of religious groups. No-one escapes, Jew, Christian, Moslem alike are all mutilated, cut into pieces and burnt. The visceral, relentless brutality that has plagued humanity is a stark, sobering theme that permeates the narrative.

Despite its weight, both in physical heft and subject matter, "The World" is a rewarding read. It is not a book to be rushed; rather, it demands and deserves a patient and thoughtful engagement. Over the course of its pages, I found myself making over 200 notes, a testament to the wealth of knowledge and insight it offers.

Montefiore's work is a remarkable journey through history, one that educates and engages. For those willing to invest the time, it is a profoundly enriching experience that sheds light on the complexities and continuities of human existence.

I gave it five stars.

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