Book Bearings
Cover of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Sapiens

Yuval Noah Harari

  • 456 pages · about 8 hours
  • First published 2011
  • 86 editions
Buy on Bookshop.orgView on Open Library

Bookshop.org links may earn us a commission. It supports independent bookstores and costs you nothing.

1 About this book

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Hebrew: קיצור תולדות האנושות, Qitzur Toldot ha-Enoshut) is a 2011 book by the Israeli military historian Yuval Noah Harari, based on a series of lectures he gave at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

It was first published in Hebrew in Israel in 2011, and in English in 2014. The book surveys the history of humankind, beginning in the Stone Age and ending in the 21st century. The account relies on a fusion of the natural sciences with the social sciences.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  • Technology and civilization
  • Historical Chronology
  • World history
  • History
  • Science
  • Civilization, history
  • Life Sciences
  • Evolution

2 What to expect

A sweeping, opinionated history of humankind from the Stone Age to today, organized around a few big ideas. Brisk and provocative; easy to read, and easy to argue with.

Good for readers who want: big-picture history, big ideas, and a long read.

3 About Yuval Noah Harari

Born 1976

Yuval Noah Harari (born 1976) is an Israeli medievalist, military historian, public intellectual, and popular science writer. He is a professor of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His first bestselling book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) is based on his lectures to an undergraduate world history class.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

4 More by Yuval Noah Harari

5 Similar books

Find a book that fits your moment