History in 100 Objects

[ejp626]

Well, I am a bit hesitant to bring this up, since it is unclear if the shows/podcasts will be available in 2011, but what the heck.

About a month ago, I was tipped off to a book called History of the World in 100 Objects through the Guardian website. It is also available on the Amazon.co.uk website, though probably being reprinted at the moment:100 Objects book So far it is not available in the US. After some reflection, I decided that it really was a gorgeous book and put in an order. In the reviews, they mentioned that the BBC 4 series was even better. Curiously, I am an avid listener of BBC Radio 3 but never remembered hearing anything about this project.

To sum it up, BBC Radio 4 approached Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, and asked him to choose 100 objects from the museum that summed up human history. Then deliver 100 radio broadcasts on the objects. Pretty daunting, no? Well, most people think MacGregor delivered in spades, though there are a few detractors. In the comments here, they are about 75% supportive and 25% negative: Comments1 Here it is more 50/50: Comments2

My feeling is that the programs are quite well done until the last 5 when he goes seriously off the rails in terms of what is important in the larger scheme of things (and then to have chosen a solar lamp when the runner-up object was a mobile phone??). My second thought is that the emphasis is so heavily on religion/royalty/culture and there was almost nothing on technology, though some of this is due to the nature of the British Museum's collection. If they had somehow combined this with the V & A Collection it might have been more balanced.

In general, I thought there were some critical items that really ought to have been included:

a plow

printing press and/or the Gutenberg Bible

something representing train technology

something representing the American and probably the French revolutions (they wait all the way until the Russian revolution for an object)

the telegraph

probably a transistor radio

computer

automobile culture

So a really great series but an incomplete one. I would probably combine it with James Burke's Connection series for a more rounded view of things. (Boy, that was a great series and fortunately all available on Netflix!)

Here are the episodes (there is another place to try to download podcasts but I think only valid from the UK): 100 Objects radio. Hopefully they will leave them up at least through 2011. Then you can let me know if I am all wet.