In Titans of History, renowned historian Simon Sebag Montefiore takes on a broad project for specific reasons. As a young man, he read a brief sketch of the life of Joseph Stalin, which ultimately led to his career as a historian of Russia and the Middle East. Wanting to provide a similar experience to readers now, Montefiore (along with four sub-credited authors) has created a compilation of quick biographies of the most important people in human history. This extensive volume ranges from Rameses the Great to Osama Bin Laden, and spans numerous cultures. Many are leaders and rulers, but other notables emerge as well, such as Oscar Wilde and Anne Frank.
Reading Titans of History straight through is a bit like falling down a Wikipedia wormhole, with many of these short biographies dovetailing each other through direct connections between history's great actors or the resonance of past actions on future ones. It's not clear that Montefiore expects people to read the book straight through, though. In his introduction, the historian writes that he hopes these biographies provide entry points to further reading about their subjects and time periods. But Titans of History is remarkably successful at getting in a lot of information in a short span, and is equally impressive at not ignoring many historical figures' complicated natures. Rarely is Montefiore unequivocal, instead showing these actors as products of their time, or how they combined genius with debauchery, violence and lust for power. Montefiore clearly aims to keep the book's perspective contemporary, making sure that anyone can pick up Titans of History and have an experience similar to his own as a young man. --Noah Cruickshank, adult engagement manager, the Field Museum, Chicago, Ill.