History

The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind

By H. G. Wells

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Length44h 55m

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This monumental work traces the story of life from the birth of the earth through the rise of civilizations and the devastation of global war. By framing history as a unified process, the author argues that only a common understanding of our past can lead to a peaceful, unified future. It is a sweeping attempt to educate the masses and foster a sense of global citizenship in a fractured world.

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GenreHistory

Length44 hrs 55 mins

Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices

FormateBook with Audio

Publish dateFeb 23, 2026

LanguageEnglish

1BOOK I THE MAKING OF OUR WORLD

2I THE EARTH IN SPACE AND TIME

3II THE RECORD OF THE ROCKS

4III NATURAL SELECTION AND THE CHANGES OF SPECIES

5IV THE INVASION OF THE DRY LAND BY LIFE

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6V CHANGES IN THE WORLD’S CLIMATE

7VI THE AGE OF REPTILES

8VII THE AGE OF MAMMALS

9BOOK II THE MAKING OF MEN

10X THE LATER POSTGLACIAL PALÆOLITHIC MEN, THE FIRST TRUE MEN (Later Palæolithic Age)

11XIII THE RACES OF MANKIND

12XIV THE LANGUAGES OF MANKIND

13BOOK III THE DAWN OF HISTORY

14XV THE ARYAN-SPEAKING PEOPLES IN PREHISTORIC TIMES

15XVI THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS

16XVII SEA PEOPLES AND TRADING PEOPLES

17XVIII WRITING

18XIX GODS AND STARS, PRIESTS AND KINGS

19XX SERFS, SLAVES, SOCIAL CLASSES, AND FREE INDIVIDUALS

20BOOK IV JUDEA, GREECE, AND INDIA (pt. 1)

21BOOK IV JUDEA, GREECE, AND INDIA (pt. 2)

22BOOK IV JUDEA, GREECE, AND INDIA (pt. 3)

23BOOK V THE RISE AND COLLAPSE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE: XXVIII FROM TIBERIUS GRACCHUS TO THE GOD EMPEROR IN ROME (pt. 1)

24BOOK V THE RISE AND COLLAPSE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE: XXVIII FROM TIBERIUS GRACCHUS TO THE GOD EMPEROR IN ROME (pt. 2)

25BOOK VI CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM

26XXX THE BEGINNINGS, THE RISE, AND THE DIVISIONS OF CHRISTIANITY

27XXXI SEVEN CENTURIES IN ASIA (CIRCA 50 B.C. TO A.D. 650)

28THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY

29SCHEME OF CONTENTS

30BOOK VI (Continued) CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM (Continued)

31THE OUTLINE OF HISTORY

32XXXIII CHRISTENDOM AND THE CRUSADES

33BOOK VII THE MONGOL EMPIRES OF THE LAND WAYS AND THE NEW EMPIRES OF THE SEA WAYS: XXXIV THE GREAT EMPIRE OF JENGIS KHAN AND HIS SUCCESSORS (The Age of the Land Ways) (pt. 1)

34BOOK VII THE MONGOL EMPIRES OF THE LAND WAYS AND THE NEW EMPIRES OF THE SEA WAYS: XXXIV THE GREAT EMPIRE OF JENGIS KHAN AND HIS SUCCESSORS (The Age of the Land Ways) (pt. 2)

35BOOK VIII THE AGE OF THE GREAT POWERS

36XXXVI PRINCES, PARLIAMENTS, AND POWERS

37XXXVII THE NEW DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICS OF AMERICA AND FRANCE (pt. 1)

38XXXVII THE NEW DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICS OF AMERICA AND FRANCE (pt. 2)

39XXXVII THE NEW DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICS OF AMERICA AND FRANCE (pt. 3)

40XXXVII THE NEW DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICS OF AMERICA AND FRANCE (pt. 4)

41XXXVII THE NEW DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICS OF AMERICA AND FRANCE (pt. 5)

42BOOK IX THE NEXT STAGE IN HISTORY: XLI THE POSSIBLE UNIFICATION OF THE WORLD INTO ONE COMMUNITY OF KNOWLEDGE AND WILL

43TIME CHARTS AND CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

44CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE (pt. 1)

45CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE (pt. 2)

46IMPRINT | DISCLAIMER