The Mental Floss History of the World

An Irreverent Romp Through Civilization's Best Bits

By: Steve Wiegand, Erik Sass

Narrated by: Johny Heller

Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

About 60,000 years ago, the first Homo sapiens were just beginning their move across the grasslands and up the ladder of civilization. Everything since then, as they say, is history. Just in case you were sleeping in class that day, the geniuses at mental_floss magazine have put together a hilarious (and historically accurate) primer on everything you need to know---and that means the good stuff.

Twelve core chapters of world history tackle everything from civilization's baby steps in the Fertile Crescent to the Not-Really-That-Dark-Unless-You-Lived-in-Europe Ages to A World United by Terror and TV. From the Golden Haemorhoids of the Philistines (punishment from above) to the likely namesake of the cartoon elephant Babar (a Mongol prince) to the most pressing language translation issues facing the menus of today ("carp" vs. "crap"), all of history's most interesting bits have finally been handpicked and roasted to perfection.

©2008 Mental Floss LLC (P)2008 Tantor

lousy boring narrator. content mostly correct

Lousy monotonous narrator, mispronounced almost all foreign words, Abd some English ones. He kills any humour in the writer text.

covering a few millenia in a few hours is a momentous effortt. Content mostly correct,

Pretty good overview

I wish it was clearer and more in depth in the later chapters of modern history but it was a pretty good broad overview of world history in general. I did learn a few things. I did notice when discussing the Middle East conflict Palestine and the Palestinians weren’t mentioned at all… which wasn’t in keeping with the way other older land conflicts in the same region where previously discussed. Israel, Egypt and Syria were identified as the major players with no mention of the people already residing in Israel but I realize it’s a touchy subject. Modern history in general was very vaguely glossed over so that was a bit disappointing given but they did really take their time with the ancient history.

Not That Irreverent, But Still Really Good

Would you consider the audio edition of The Mental Floss History of the World to be better than the print version?

No. I think some of the humor is lost via the reader, who falls flat. I would also assume that there would be maps, lists and graphs that would enhance the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the fact that they try and encompass everything. And for the most part, I think they get as much as could be expected or imagined in one volume. They treat the pre-Colombian Americas and Africa with equal respect to Asia and Europe, which few books attempt. They tend to do very cursory glances over big historical moments so they can include a larger vision, and it feels like they are respectful to the reader by assuming that they know about WWI or WWII, rather than treating people like they never heard of it. They do a really good job of talking about cause and effect. Rather than use taxation/representation as the cause of the American Revolution, they link it back the French and Indian War.Despite being a general history book, and I have a lot of knowledge in the area, I was still introduced to new facts. I loved that.Overall, a great primer book for further exploration with a lot of respect for all cultures. Wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was.

What aspect of Johny Heller’s performance would you have changed?

He falls flat on their attempts at humor. I think that he doesn't do them justice in the "irreverence" aspect.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

God no. You digest this one in hour segments. I listened to this at the same time I listened to another book. I feel if you try to do too much of this at one time, you might get too much information and therefor not process as much as if you take it slowly.

Breezy, but Fascinating and Informative

I've listened to this recording repeatedly and always pick up new and interesting information. Its style is friendly, accessible and never tedious. Moreover, Johnny Heller has become my favorite reader. He has real flair and a tremendous delivery. I wish I could find other things he's read, alas. For history lovers, this recording makes the subject fun and appealing. I love this audio book.

Annoying Narrator Detracts from Subject Matter

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I love history, and I appreciate the little facts compiled in this book. It's good for the car, as it's easy to come in and out of the story without losing track.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's voice is annoying, and he pronounces a lot of the words incorrectly (parabola, anise, to name a couple). Sometimes his voice bothered me so much that I just had to take a break.

Love it! Got my family interested in history!

Makes history real. I wouldn’t use the audio version to study for a test, but if you just want to become more familiar with how things flowed or conversant In key events, it’s great. Decent global coverage, too (not just a Euro-centric whitewashed perspective).

Excellent concise summary of human history

I think the other reviews for this audiobook are rather harsh, I've listened to it twice and enjoyed both times quite a bit. Given the breadth of the topic of course each civilization throughout human history can't be given an extended period of time, though I learned quite a bit through it and found it very enjoyable. I also liked the personality the narrator gave the material. I would highly recommend for anyone who is interested in a review of the entirety of human history across 15 hours of listening

AWEFUL!!!!

This is my tenth Audible book and the worst by far. It's basically a list of historical events with a few anecdotes thrown in. It seems to jump from one geographical area to another with the emphasis on incidental events, and the chronology is confusing too. The narrator is awful -- an unattractive tone without expression and the attempt at humor is pathetic.

Just listen to the sample -- there's a word repeated twice which they left in and that sloppiness is typical of the whole project. The authors don't appear to have made any effort to make the book a quality product -- must have been paid to churn it out as quickly as possible.

I read a lot of science and history. This book is an insult. I think I've made my point. To be honest, I only listened to the first 4 chapters but couldn't continue for obvious reasons.

Like Reading a History Book Time Line

I hated history in school. Thought this might help change my opinion... it did not.

Worst Narrator

14 minutes in I gave up on this book. I wanted to like it - I really did! - but they choose the worst narrator. This book is supposed to be light-hearted, quick-witted, and fun! Johny Heller sounds like he should be reading auto repair manuals and obituaries. He is so flat and lifeless I didn’t even chuckle at the fact that there’s a subsection called “Slap Happy” about a Babylonian festival where citizens got to skip the king.