THE HISTORY BOOK (Series)

Beginning with the Middle Ages and continuing to the present day, this series of nine animated films surveys the development of society throughout the ages from a grassroots perspective, showing history as it has been lived and experienced by common people. Episodes, which average 15-20 minutes each, include:

1) A Flickering Light in the Darkness - the feudal system and rise of the merchant class;
2) At Dawn, Overcoming All Difficulties - development of sea trade routes and Spanish conquests in the new world;
3) A Bright Future...For Some - European wars in the 14th and 15th centuries leading to development of the first nation states;
4) Bloody Schemes - the slave trade;
5) Triumphant Symphony - the Industrial Revolution;
6) Makeshift Solutions - industrial crisis of 1873, colonization of Africa, development of monopolies;
7) The Coming of Darkness - WWI, Russian Revolution, WWII, Chinese Revolution;
8) The Night is Sinister - colonialism, foreign aid and multinational corporations, neo-colonialism; and
9) A New Dawn - anti-colonial wars of liberation.

Directed by Jannik Hastrup and Li Vilstrup
1974, 157 minutes
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $150

"...stimulating...refreshingly entertaining...will engender a lively exchange of ideas...a model for the visual presentation of history." - The History Teacher

"...an alternative approach to teaching courses in Western Civilization...provides some beneficial insight into contemporary problems...It might be described as the 'Sesame Street' of social studies." - Catholic Film Newsletter

"A creative social studies teacher could find many uses for these films whether he agrees with the film's premises or not." - Media Mix

"It is the kind of movie which all of us should have been shown in those horribly boring and worthless World History classes which are at once the bane and backbone of history departments everywhere." - The Daily Cardinal (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

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