The Infographic History of the World Hardcover – 20 Jun. 2013

Numerous books have recently entered into the data presentation and visualisation space with very mixed results. This book is not about 'what makes good design', like the work of, say Alberto Cario (also highly recommended) but instead is a 'history of the world' through visual presentation.The title, perhaps, has allowed the authors to pick anything and everything that tickled their fancy, but that's okay. What this book does very well is provide high-quality inspiration for information/data designers. As one of those myself, I would estimate that probably 50% of the second half of the book shows real innovation in this space. This is a remarkably high percentage and truly impressive.

I bought this as a gift for my husband who likes infographics as well as interesting facts, ideas and information. So, this proved to be a hit! It's also nicely presented and designed, a hardcover (although soft would be ok too) and it's one of those books you can dip in and out of. But, it's not superficial at all covering religion, literature, art, space, science, you name it! The texts are intelligent and well written, and covers such a huge area that it would appeal to almost anyone. However, it was the infographics that caught my eye first and this is a well designed book.

Judging by my initial flick through it seems great. But the page sizes are too small to be jam packed with this much info, which means the typeface is extremely small, I'd estimate 8-9 pitch. I can normally read without reading glasses, which I keep for tiny fonts, but I can't read a word of this book without them. If your eyes are young that's not an issue, but if you hate struggling with text, you may want to factor this into your purchase.

Real nice detail in this book with some really interesting facts and information from the worlds history that you probably wouldn't ever find out! Great to just pick up and flick to a random page and learn something new

This is a great book, and I was absorbed by each turn of the page and happily spent several minutes studying each spread. The content is witty and erudite, the facts are accurate (and well referenced) and the design is excellent. The authors have avoided the trap that so often befalls these type of books by taking the centre fold into consideration so that all of the infographic is visible. The fact that the feel of the paper evolves as the content does is a really clever idea, and adds a tactile dimension to the experience. I would highly recommend it.

This book is fascinating. It brings to life the history of the world with an amazing range of creative and stimulating graphic displays - whether its the history of ancient empires or the impact of the credit crunch compared to other financial crises. Its a wonderful way to satisfy intellectual curiosity - could be a tool for teaching kids or something intriguing for the coffee table!

This is a beautifully illustrated book, by Valentina D'Efilippo, that pushes the infographic discipline to its next step. Valentina is a graduate of the London College of Communication (Postgraduate Diploma Design for Visual Communication) where the design of infographics is becoming a speciality. It is refreshing to see this subject area developing a much needed sense of humour. This is also largely due to the excellent accompanying writing and editorial by James Ball. Together James and Valentina present a vast array of complex information in a contemporary and accessible manner. This book can be appreciated by specialist and generalist alike.

Great book, holistic development of the History with nice infographic Design. Maybe some dual pages infographics needs more space.

I gave this book to our 15 year old grand-daughter. First, her 16 year old brother grabbed it and perused it. His 11 year old brother then did the same, both avidly. I then said, "Maybe your sister might like to see it, as it's hers." So they gave it back, sheepishly. But then her dad (our son) took it over and wouldn't let go. Eventually, I shamed him into giving it to her (BTW, both my wife and I had read it cover to cover before we gave it to her; we are both professional historians, and rated it A+). Apparently, she has now been able to read it. Get it, if you have any curiosity about graphics and/or history.

Habe das Buch zu Weihnachten verschenkt und es ist sehr gut angekommen. Die Graphiken sind abwechslungsreich gestaltet und die kurzen Texte sind perfekt für ein bisschen kurzweilige Ablenkung, bei der man sogar noch etwas dazu lernt.

Precioso libro, riguroso en los datos y cuidadísimo en su edición.Un libro bonito y divertido, para aprender, para ojear o para inspirarse.Merece la pena

It's amazing to have all this knowledge in such a "little" (and often funny) book. Great job, I recommend it to everyone!

The book was everything I hoped for and more. The use of different types of infographs made what in many instances would have been rather dull information come alive in an easily understood manner. It's a "page turner" and hard to put down. I believe I learned a lot and had fun in the process. I'm confident some of my friends and family will also enjoy it and just ordered four more for Christmas presents. Note: Standard shipping from UK took a bit longer than I expected 22 days, order to delivery, but it was well worth the wait.