This young person’s history book consists of brief biographies of 50 people who helped shape world history: kings, queens, warriors, artists, writers, protest leaders, philosophers, explorers, scientists and politicians. There is a youthful bias to each story, giving preference to events that will most interest them — discovery, adventure, enlightenment and intrigue. Laborious accounts of events, tedious lists of dates and complex political machinations are replaced by stories of action and achievement — all richly illustrated.

BOOK IN TEXT Format - In progress
Without the 400 plus illustrations but with all the fascinating stories

A personal note to the reader:

“What are you reading Dad?”

“History”

“How boring”

“Why?”

"Well it’s nothing but dates and wars”

This typical teenage response says much about how history is viewed by many young people.

Yet, what could be more fascinating than a subject that explains our origins, our languages, our cultures and even our thoughts and beliefs?

History shouldn’t be dull. It is packed with exciting stories of discovery, magnificence and intrigue, as well as moving accounts of love and hardship.

This book started as a project for my grandchildren in the hope that it would ignite the same spark of interest that H.K. van Loon’s “The Story of Mankind” did for me when I was twelve.

What follows is my attempt to present history by focussing on stories of action and achievement.

I am very much aware that I have omitted many famous lives, including Greeks, Egyptians, Asian, African and religious leaders (a later book perhaps!) But there are fifty interesting lives reviewed between the covers of this book and I hope young people will feel enriched after reading them. If I have stimulated their interest in history and helped make some relevant historical connections, I have succeeded.

- Chris Filmer