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Humans

A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up
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( 17,766 ratings, 1,850 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Humans by Tom Phillips offers an exhilarating journey through the most creative and catastrophic mistakes in human history. From our earliest ancestors' initial stumbles to modern-day calamities such as Chairman Mao's Four Pests Campaign and the American Dust Bowl, the book explores how, despite remarkable achievements in art, science, and culture, humanity often spectacularly fumbles. This witty and irreverent narrative reminds readers that no matter how badly we think we've messed up, it could always be far worse.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Humans is ideal for readers who enjoy humour-infused history and social commentary, fans of witty and irreverent storytelling, and those interested in exploring human nature through its many spectacular mishaps. Perfect for anyone looking for an entertaining yet insightful take on why humanity repeatedly fumbles despite its progress.

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HUMANS: An exhilarating journey through the most creative and catastrophic f*ck ups in human history, from our very first ancestor falling out of that tree, to the most spectacular fails of the present day.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'F*cking brilliant' Sarah Knight

'Very funny' Mark Watson

An exhilarating journey through the most creative and catastrophic f*ck-ups of human history, from our very first ancestor falling out of that tree, to the most spectacular fails of the present day.

In the seventy thousand years that modern human beings have walked this earth, we've come a long way. Art, science, culture, trade - on the evolutionary food chain, we're real winners. But, frankly, it's not exactly been plain sailing, and sometimes - just occasionally - we've managed to really, truly, quite unbelievably f*ck things up.

From Chairman Mao's Four Pests Campaign, to the American Dustbowl; from the Austrian army attacking itself one drunken night, to the world's leading superpower electing a reality TV mogul as President... it's pretty safe to say that, as a species, we haven't exactly grown wiser with age.

So, next time you think you've really f*cked up, this book will remind you: it could be so much worse...

Further praise for Humans:

'A light-touch history of moments when humans have got it spectacularly wrong... Both readable and entertaining' The Telegraph

'Chronicles humanity's myriad follies down the ages with malicious glee and much wit ... a rib-tickling page-turner' Business Standard

'A timely, irreverent gallop through thousands of years of human stupidity' Nicholas Griffin, PING-PONG DIPLOMACY: THE SECRET HISTORY BEHIND THE GAME THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Tom Phillips is praised as a clever and very funny author who delivers a light-touch and entertaining history of human failings. Readers and reviewers alike applaud his ability to chronicle humanity's follies with malicious glee and wit, producing a rib-tickling page-turner. The book is recommended as a very funny and timely reflection on human errors, offering reassurance in dark times by highlighting our constant cluelessness.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472259059

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 April 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Wildfire

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 290g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Tom Phillips is an author and journalist. He's worked as the editor of Full Fact and editorial director of BuzzFeed UK. The four books in Tom's internationally bestselling Brief History series have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Tom lives in Cornwall with an exponentially growing number of spider plants.

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    Superb ... entertaining ... Phillips traverses this sprawling terrain with energy and charm Telegraph Exceptionally funny from cover to cover, it is not only an entertaining read but also deeply researched and thoughtful Irish Independent Fans of Phillips's earlier books Humans and Truth will be pleased that the ex-BuzzFeed editor is on form, not letting the grimness of his subject...
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    The final edition of the late Tom Phillips's defining masterpiece of postmodernism. In 1966, the artist Tom Phillips discovered A Human Document (1892), an obscure Victorian romance by W.H. Mallock, and set himself the task of altering every page, by painting, collage or cut-up techniques, to create an entirely new version. Some of Mallock's original text remains intact, and through...
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