I am a big history buff and have read history and science all my life. When I read Watersheds of World History by John L. Taylor is was so nice to see what little I knew and so much I didn't know, expressed so elegantly and gracefully in this book. The book flowed like a novel rather than a history book. It seamlessly blended the history of man and all that encompasses the complexities that goes with man into this book without making it boring or having "too many dates and numbers" to remember. The biggest complaint I think people have to reading history books. It may have referenced the Bible for history more than I liked but I guess that is part of man's history too. Overall, a wonderful book if you love history. All that chattered around in my head was laid out so nicely and other things I never knew I learned from this. Great book. I received this book from the author to read and a review was not expected. ( )

First, I have to apologize to the author, John Taylor, for taking so long in writing a review for this book. He kindly sent me a copy in exchange for my honest review. And, well, let's just say I am a teacher, and teaching got in the way. Now for the review... I really wish there was a 1/2 star rating. I feel a 3 is a bit low but a four is a bit high for me. A 3 1/2 would have been perfect. Taylor makes history pretty easy to read in this book. I am not a big fan of ancient history, preferring modern history. However, his chapters on ancient history are succinct and easy to read as is the rest of the book. Although I believe Taylor purposely chose to leave diagrams, maps, and charts out of his book to make it more concise, I actually would have preferred some. I know others would be happy with this format. So, if you are a person who just wants straight historical information without the extras, this is the book for you. ( )

First off I would like to thank the author, John Taylor, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.

A watershed is a turning point or defining moment. The author has condensed thousands of years of world history into less than two hundred pages. He has highlighted what he sees as major turning points throughout history. I would also agree with many of the other reviewers that the book seems to be geared for middle to young adult readers and those who do not think they are fans of history. I would recommend reading the book in an ebook format to make it easier to highlight and search for more information on the subject and then be able to glide back into reading the history. If reading in a regular format you may find yourself making notations and highlights and that is okay for this type of book. Recording the sites you visited including your own maps into the book. My initial thought was that Mr Taylor should have included links he recommends but then I agree he designed the book so you can be the explorer and archeologist and come to your own thoughts and conclusions as to the validity of the watershed moments and to the history. ( )

Three pages of notes referring to spelling errors, poor sentence structure, and at least three major historical errors.

Page 94 "when Arthur, Henry's brother, married Catherine, the fifteen-year-old monarch was healthy, hot-blooded and passionate about her."
Arthur was never King of England. He was Prince of Wales when he died and his father, Henry VI was still live.

Page 98 about Mary, Queen of Scots time in England. "Elizabeth received her in England, but followed the advice of counselors to place her in the Tower of London."
She was never there. She was held at Carlisle Castle, Chatsworth House, Sheffield Manor, Bolton Castle, Tutbury Castle, and finally at Fotheringhay where she was tried, convicted and executed using the Casket Letters as evidence. Evidence which mysteriously disappeared afterwards.

Page 161 "Old soldiers never die; they just pass away,"
MacArthur said, "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

A proofreader would have been a good investment to make this book a success ( )

After reading through the book I wasn't sure if I actually liked it or not. It does cover several important times in history but it also skips a few I would expect to see. A history book shouldn't be written from any one point of view, instead it should present the known facts and allow the reader to make their own judgements. It wouldn't hurt to have someone good at noticing mistakes (editor) point out the more obvious ones. It's not bad for a first attempt, but certainly not something I'd push for including in a school or library. That said, there's plenty of garbage out there that's far worse than this one.


Free copy provided by the author in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for your generosity. ( )