A brisk account of this defining feature of human society, from prehistory to nuclear proliferation and lethal autonomous weapons. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. War has changed, but we have not. From our hunter-gatherer ancestors to the rival nuclear powers of today, whenever resources have been contested, we’ve gone to battle. Acclaimed historian Gwynne Dyer illuminates our many martial clashes in this brisk account, tracing warfare from prehistory to the world’s first cities—and on to the thousand-year “classical age” of combat, which ended when the firearm changed everything. He examines the brief interlude of “limited war” before eighteenth-century revolution ushered in “total war”—and how the devastation was halted by the nuclear shock of Hiroshima. Then came the Cold War and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which punctured the longest stretch of peace between major powers since World War II. For all our advanced technology and hyperconnected global society, we find ourselves once again on the brink as climate change heightens competition for resources and superpowers stand ready with atomic bombs, drones, and futuristic “autonomous” weapons in development. Throughout, Dyer delves into anthropology, psychology, and other relevant fields to unmask the drivers of conflict. The Shortest History of War is for anyone who wants to understand the role of war in the human story—and how we can prevent it from defining our future.

Discover the cultural and political riches of Greece across 3,000 years, from classical might to modern rebirth. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. Philosophy, art, democracy, language, even computers—the glories of Greek civilization have shaped our world even more profoundly than we realize. Pericles and the Parthenon may be familiar, but what of Epaminondas, the Theban general who saved the Greek world from Spartan tyranny? Alexander the Great’s fame has rolled down the centuries, but the golden Hellenistic Age that followed is largely forgotten. “Byzantine” conjures decadence and deadly intrigue, yet the thousand-year empire that ruled from Constantinople and saved Europe twice from invasion was, in fact, Greek. Greece’s modern chapter, too, tells of triumph and calamity—from liberation and expansion to schism, homegrown dictatorship, Nazi occupation, and civil war. Today’s nation is battered by austerity, encroaching climate change, and a refugee crisis—yet unwavering in its ancient values. James Heneage captures the full Grecian drama in this riveting, short history, revealing Greece as the wellspring of Western civilization—and a model that may yet save modern democracy.

Uncover the decisive moments that shaped a world-changing continent. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. Celebrated historian John Hirst draws from his own lectures to deliver this ultra-accessible master class on the making of modern Europe, from Ancient Greece through World War II. With over 600,000 copies sold worldwide, this brief history is a global sensation propelled by a thesis of astonishing simplicity: Just three elements—German warfare, Greek and Roman culture, and Christianity—come together to explain everything else, from the Crusades to the Industrial Revolution. Hirst’s razor-sharp grasp of cause and effect helps us see with sparkling clarity how the history of Europe—the crucible of liberal democracy—shapes the way we live today.

A complete history of the universe, spanning 13.8 billion years in an ultra-accessible, uncommonly illuminating, exhilarating chronicle of key events “Baker introduces us not only to the history of our species and our planet, but the history of our vast universe.”—from the foreword by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars In this thrilling history, David Baker captures the longest-possible time span—from the Big Bang to the present day—in an astonishingly concise retelling. His impressive timeline includes the “rise of complexity” in the cosmos and the creation of the first atoms; the origin of all galaxies, stars, and our solar system; and the evolution of life on Earth, from tiny single-celled organisms to human beings. Weaving together insights across the sciences—including chemistry, physics, biology, archaeology, and anthropology—Baker answers the fundamental questions: How did time begin? Why does matter exist? What made life on Earth the way it is? He also argues that never before has life on Earth been forced to adjust to a changing climate so rapidly, nor has one species ever been responsible for such sudden change. Baker’s grand view offers the clearest picture of what may come next—and the role we can still play in our planet’s fate.

An accessible chronicle of how the Israel-Palestine conflict originated and developed over the past century. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. The ongoing struggle between Israel and Palestine is one of the most bitter conflicts in history, with profound global consequences. In this book, Middle East expert Michael Scott-Baumann succinctly describes its origins and charts its evolution from civil war to the present day. Each chapter offers a lucid explanation of the politics and ends with personal testimony from Palestinians and Israelis whose lives have been impacted by the dispute. While presenting competing interpretations, Scott-Baumann examines the key flash points, including the early role of the British, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the Six-Day War of 1967, and the Trump administration’s peace plan, pitched as “the deal of the century,” in 2020. He delineates both the nature of Israeli control over the Palestinian territories and Palestinian resistance—going to the heart of the clashes in recent decades. The result is an indispensable history, including a time line, glossary, and analysis of why efforts to restore peace have continually failed and what it will take to succeed.

‘An incisive and well-informed overview of how warfare has evolved’ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ‘From the first armies to clashes of drones and dirty bombs, this is eye-opening, big-picture stuff’ BBC HISTORY ‘Readable and sharp ... does what it says on the tin’ INDEPENDENT ‘Dyer writes with eloquence and authority’ IRISH EXAMINER War has changed, but we have not. From our hunter-gatherer ancestors to the rival nuclear powers of today, whenever resources have been contested, we’ve gone to battle. In this brisk and gripping account, acclaimed military historian Gwynne Dyer traces the evolution of martial clashes, tracing warfare from prehistory to the world’s first cities and on to the thousand-year ‘classical age’ of combat, which ended when the firearm changed everything. Dyer explores the shift from limited to total war, interrupted by Hiroshima’s nuclear impact, until the Cold War and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended the longest peace among major powers since the World War II. Now as climate change intensifies resource competition, superpowers fill up their arsenals with atomic bombs, drones and futuristic weapons of mass destruction. All through, Dyer delves into anthropology, psychology and other relevant fields to unmask the drivers of conflict, making The Shortest History of War a book for anyone who wants to understand the role of war in the human story – and how we can prevent it from defining our future.

We must establish our world order on the principles of human dignity if we want a credible future for humanity. This book shows how and why this is so. It investigates the meaning of human dignity in relation to current scholarly work as well as in terms of the depths of our subjective lives from which the concept of dignity arises. It contrasts the concept of dignity with our current world system engulfed in endless wars, immense inequality, systems of economic injustice, and on-going environmental destruction. It shows the relationship between dignity, human rights, and global moral principles and lays out ten fundamental principles for a planetary ethics. The book contrasts the holistic paradigm uncovered by 20th century science with the fragmented paradigm that persists at the heart of the present world system, showing how and why a conversion to holism and dignity is both necessary and possible. Human Dignity and World Order shows that we have not yet fully understood our human existential situation as temporal beings oriented toward the future who possess the largely untapped power of a liberating “utopian imagination.” Through examining our fundamental human condition, it unveils our vast potential for self-transcendence and transformation leading toward a redeemed and credible human future in which we flourish on the Earth within a planetary civilization of freedom, justice, peace, and sustainable prosperity. This book also presents the Constitution for the Federation of Earth as a paradigm or model for practical action toward a credible human future. Altogether, the book constitutes a watershed in human self-understanding, opening possibilities for the future hitherto ignored or misunderstood. Every thoughtful person concerned for our common human future needs to read this book.