Absolutely everything: A history of earth, dinosaurs, rulers, robots, and other things too numerous to mention (2nd Edition) by Christopher Lloyd

I’m generally wary of books that start out with a message from the author saying that no book existed that appealed to children/covered this topic and so they had to write one. I can’t agree with the author that this general history is completely unique - there are many overviews of history in multiple formats - but I will say that this one is very well done.

The first four chapters of the book cover the pre-human periods from the formation of the earth to the evolution of early humans. Lloyd uses the analogy of a single day to show how most of earth’s history predates human civilization. Chapters five through eight cover a wide range of early civilizations and here Lloyd does an especially good job of creating a truly global history, focusing on the development not just of the early Greek and Roman empires but also of the advancements made by Asian and South American groups. Chapters nine through twelve cover the beginnings of Christianity and Islam and the middle ages. Here again Lloyd is careful to note the inventions and discoveries happening globally, not just in Western civilization and notably does not spend excessive time on Westerners rediscovering ideas already in use in multiple other cultures. Chapters twelve and thirteen cover the expansion of colonialism and resulting industrial, scientific, and political revolutions through the turn of the century. Although Lloyd is honest about the effects and atrocities of colonialism, neither excusing nor apologizing for its perpetrators, he does not wallow in tragedies, just gives a simple overview of the events and their legacy down through history. The fourteenth and fifteenth chapters cover the wars of the 19th through the twentieth century, including the US Civil War and World Wars, but also the wars of colonialism, including the Opium Wars and Russian Revolution. These chapters also cover the period of the Cold War and the beginning of the Digital Age. The final chapter explores the events of the last twenty years and speculates on what might be coming in the future. This last chapter is overall as good as most of these futuristic speculations are, although I take issue with Lloyd’s optimism about AI without noting any of the negatives.

The book is a hefty 400 pages with a map, map index, several pages of glossary, general index, and a note from the author on sources and research and revisions made in this second edition. Each chapter is marked with a timeline of important events. The book can be browsed or read straight through, although the earlier chapters are more scientific than historical, focusing on the changing geology and evolution of creatures. Lloyd generally does a good job with presenting a truly global view of history, putting multiple events into context and explaining how the past affects the future today.

Verdict: A strong choice for reference or browsing collections and will be especially of interest to homeschoolers who like encyclopedia-type books for reference. Recommended for most library collections.

ISBN: 9781804660768; Published October 2023 by What on Earth; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library