A History of the World in 100 Objects

　　★ 大英博物館館長親撰，席捲英美非文學暢銷書榜、媒體年度選書！
　　★ 100位大英博物館館員耗時四年計畫：嚴選100件文物，拼貼世界兩百萬年歷史

　　本書源於2010年英國BBC廣播節目，當時大英博物館館長Neil MacGregor介紹珍貴館藏故事，受到觀眾熱烈迴響，因而有了這本內容充實精彩的精裝書問世。

　　大英博物館琳瑯滿目的館藏，遍及世界各地、且種類包羅萬象，不像其他國家博物館多著重歐洲畫作。這次大英博物館館員嚴選百件文物，由很會說故事的館長執筆，介紹這些縱橫兩百萬年人類文明史的關鍵文物，從粗製濫造的「工具箱起源」─ 坦尚尼亞石器，到改變人類生活的太陽能燈具，都展現人類文明與行為、政治權力背後的有趣故事。

　　館長的筆觸相當引人入勝，比方他以David Hockney1966年的兩男並躺床上的畫作，說明人類道德結構在數千年的轉變。而提到新幾內亞發現的鳥型槌，他寫道：「大約一萬年前，開始有現代穀片與蔬菜。當時天候不佳，出現了新牲畜與力量強大的神，性事跟食物都非常美好。」

　　本書章節分類也相當有趣，依主題與年代分為「人類文明之初」、「冰河時期之後：食物與性」、「首座城市與國家」、「科學與文學起源」、「帝國建造者」、「皇室秘辛」、「儒家時代」、「見見上帝」、「第一個全球經濟」、「大探險」等二十個章節。圖文並茂的內容，帶讀者重返不同時空，看見今日世界的原始面貌。(文/巧比非爾)

　　From the renowned director of the British Museum, a kaleidoscopic history of humanity told through things we have made.

　　When did people first start to wear jewelry or play music? When were cows domesticated and why do we feed their milk to our children? Where were the first cities and what made them succeed? Who invented math-or came up with money?

　　The history of humanity is a history of invention and innovation, as we have continually created new items to use, to admire, or to leave our mark on the world. In this original and thought-provoking book, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, has selected one hundred man-made artifacts, each of which gives us an intimate glimpse of an unexpected turning point in human civilization. A History of the World in 100 Objects stretches back two million years and covers the globe. From the very first hand axe to the ubiquitous credit card, each item has a story to tell; together they relate the larger history of mankind-revealing who we are by looking at what we have made.

　　Handsomely designed, with more than 150 color photographs throughout the text, A History of the World in 100 Objects is a gorgeous reading book and makes a great gift for anyone interested in history.