Historium (Welcome To The Museum)

Review

Last year's Animalium was a stand-out title for me, and this promises to be a similarly impressive production, exploring what civilisations have left behind over thousands of years of human history. A slipcased gift edition will also be available. -- Fiona Noble * The Bookseller * One of the most visually stunning books of the year, Historium opens up a world of exploration and wonder, with much to appeal to curious children and adults alike. -- Fiona Noble * The Bookseller * Welcome to the Museum - Again! You loved the majesty of the animal kingdom explored in the glorious "Animalium", now explore amazing artefacts in the stunning "Historium". Non fiction titles must be quite tricky to balance just right to engage children's imaginations and interests. Too dumbed down and they run the risk of being no more than books you'll glance through once or twice. Too complicated and "school-book-like" and kids will just assume that it's more stealth learning being forced on them. Previous Big Picture Press release "Animalium" pulled off the neat trick of being detailed and fact packed but also being gorgeously attractive and immersive for kids.[...] Now we have returned to the museum that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home with "Historium", another gigantic hefty book that allows us to explore the rich history of civilisation through a deep and thorough examination of the artefacts unearthed across the various continents of the world. [...] Ancient civilisations are the focus here, so you will see artefacts from Ancient Egypt as well as other countries and cultures across the world. Each artefact is described in detail but the astonishingly gorgeous illustrations will ultimately make this book a surefire hit - and also ensure that children will want to use it as a jumping-off point for further explorations of their own local museums too! Charlotte's favourite bit: Finding the amazing Viking chess pieces we saw on our recent visit to York's mind-blowing Jorvik Viking Centre Daddy's favourite bit: A truly gorgeous book, something that could easily be handed down from generation to generation until it becomes a revered artefact itself! -- Phil May * Read it Daddy! * If you can't get to the museum, then this is the next best thing! It's a super-sized book which explores a wonderful world of artefacts. It's set out just like a museum - you will go on a journey through Africa, America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania, discovering artefacts from periods throughout history. [...] A stunning book which combines beauty and information superbly - you will marvel at the objects and revel in learning more about their creators. The superb presentation of the book befits its subject. -- Sarah Brew * Parents in Touch * With over 140 objects this is a museum that is open all hours, or at least whenever you open its pages. Stroll from room to room (turn the pages) and explore the magnificent remains of civilisations from thousands of years of human history. There are works of art and objects from all six continents complete with facts and stories. Add this stunning title to Animalium and start a beautiful collection of books to be treasured (Big Picture Press). -- Louise Ellis-Barrett * Armadillo Magazine * In the follow-up to the phenomenal 'Animalium' comes 'Historium', a beautifully curated collection of museum pieces ranging from Ancient Egyptian artefacts to the best of Roman engineering. With clean and colourful artwork, this illustrated compendium through history is a compelling and inspiring resource, perfect for any young wannabe Historian. Take a wander through a narrative mosaic of ancient objects from ancient civilisations, all from the comfort of your own home. Carefully selected items are displayed on each spread for your perusal, coupled with a wealth of factual and enticing information about its history. Find out more about the Polynesian 'moai' statues and how their culture evolved over the years, to the cave paintings in eastern Africa. With an warm, earthy palette and simple yet very specific illustrations of historic items, both young and won't be able to stop themselves delving yet deeper into the history of each item and discovering more about our shared history. What could be better? A bookish museum open as often as you desire, 365 days a year, with over 130 artefacts to pore over and numerous ancient civilisations to explore. Turn each page to discover a new world, an ancient world and find out how fun it can be travelling back in time to unearth the truly surreal and wholly incredible. A perfect tool for any classroom and one that would be a fine and well utilised addition to any shelf in any home, wherever you may live. -- Sarah Yewman * Picture Books Blogger * If, like me, you were a fan of the 2014 best-selling book Animalium, you're in for a treat with this new title from the same publisher. This is a children's history book like no other: focusing on the objects and artefacts of ancient civilisations, it's like having the British Museum between the covers of a book. Every school library should own a copy. -- Hannah Beckerman * The Huffington Post * Some books are made to read out loud, sharing the pleasures of story-telling with our children, others simply to stare at, longingly and lovingly, and of course to talk about. The massive success last year of the large-scale picture book Animalium, a tome of great beauty that presented a dreamscape of illustrated taxonomy, of fact and art, has paved the way for fresh non-fiction wonders. Now we have the follow-up, Historium (Big Picture Press, GBP20), "curated" by Richard Wilkinson and Jo Nelson. Although not quite as marvellous as Animalium - because how could the works of man compare with the surreal treasures of nature? - it is nevertheless a fascinating tour of thousands of years of human artefacts, from the Lewis chessmen to the bust of Queen Nefertiti and Egyptian papyrus. And it is not alone. Simple concepts, charmingly illustrated are the trend of the season. -- Vicky Allan * Scotland Herald * It's an exciting read, for history geeks ... and also if you don't think much of history yet. It's fascinating seeing what those before us used for decorations and daily lives, as it gives us a glimpse into their mindset, and how they viewed life. There are hundreds of thousands of ancient artefacts, it must have been hard to narrow down which to include in Historium but the collection chosen provides a wide variety of what's out there. [...] This is definitely a taster of the delights that artefacts from the ancient world provide, and will hopefully get many more interested in the past. -- Jessica Pitcairn * Nayu's Reading Corner * This handsome, outsized volume offers a virtual museum experience within hard covers. [...]Wilkinson's digital illustrations are not photos though they have a considerable degree of photorealism in the detail and some truly stand out from the page.[...] of course, it can never take the place of a real museum visit; but you would need to visit a great many to see everything Historium presents. [...] It certainly does give the next best thing: a basic introduction to a number of ancient cultures (mostly no longer in existence) and an exciting visual experience that will one hopes, inspire readers to go (coining a phrase from Bruner), 'beyond the information given'. -- Jill Bennett * Red Reading Hub * Packed with facts and stories, beautifully detailed illustrations, a timeline and an overview of each ancient culture it explores, Historium is perfect for any budding archaeologist. -- The Week Junior * The Week Junior * Exquisite illustrations and fascinating facts combine in this wonderful tour through the artefacts of past civilisations, from 12th-century Lewis Chessmen to the bust of queen Neferiti. * EVENT - Mail on Sunday * Following the bestselling Animalium, Historium "curated" by Richard Wilkinson and illustrated by Jo Nelson (Big Picture GBP20), is another handsome work with wide appeal. It uses well-chosen photographs and text to emulate a museum tour and teach history from artefacts. -- Nicolette Jones * Culture Magazine - The Sunday Times * The long-awaited follow up to the excellent Animalium, this book provides a doorway to archaeological objects found from ancient civilisations, all from the comfort of your school library... All kind of readers will find something in this book that will interest them....For me it is the drawings that make this book something extra special. -- Kevin Sheehan * SLA Magazine * ...if I had children to buy for they would all get Historium, the next in the Welcome to the Museum series. The illustrations are beautiful and it's packed with information which makes readers want to go and find out more about the subject. -- Dawn Hinsley * Gainsborough Echo *

About the Author

Jo Nelson is an editor and writer from the UK. She has written non-fiction titles across a variety of genres including science, history and biography. Richard Wilkinson is a UK-based illustrator who has worked for many well-known clients including the New Scientist.