The Cartoon History of the Universe

The Cartoon History of the Universe is an ongoing book series about the history of the world. It is written and illustrated by American cartoonist, professor, and mathematician Larry Gonick. The most recent volume, published in 2007, now names the series The Cartoon History of the Modern World. Each book in the series explains a period of world history in a loosely chronological order. Though originally published in limited runs as comic book, the series is now published in trade paperback volumes of several hundred pages each. The books have been translated into many languages, including Portuguese, Greek, and Czech. The Cartoon History is illustrated in a black-and-white cartoon style. Gonick occasionally uses crosshatching and other realistic drawing techniques, but he primarily draws with a lively brush-and-ink squiggle that resembles Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes, Walt Kelly's Pogo, and Albert Uderzo's Astérix. Each volume or chapter begins with a one- or two-panel...