In A History of the World in 100 Objects, Neal MacGregor, director of the British Museum, takes readers on a tour of the world by way of its material goods. From everyday items such as pots, utensils, and money to valuables such as art and jewelry, MacGregor shows that the things humans have left behind are often as rich and informative as written texts. Whether it's a strange and unique object like a throne made of rifles from Mozambique or a medieval German crystal, or a familiar one like a sculpture of the head of Augustus or Hokusai's painting The Great Wave, MacGregor skillfully weaves each one into the fabric of the society that it came from. In that sense, the book is much more than a museum catalog: it's a hundred keyhole views into a hundred different societies from around the world and throughout history.

本书是贡布里希写的第一本书，也是他尤其珍爱的，甚至在老年时还对它予以修订润饰。若以风格论，它可谓《艺术的故事》的先声。 用不到20万字的篇幅，平易而生动地叙说数千年的人类历史，这不但需要渊博的知识，还需要体贴和爱。 “从前……”就像祖母开始讲一个童话故事一般，贡布里希将我们带入一个遥远又遥远的过去，一起俯瞰那历史的长河。全书240多幅精彩图片，呈现世界历史中那些激动人心的一个个瞬间。