When we think of great events in the history of the world, we tend to think of war, revolution, political upheaval or natural catastrophe. But throughout history there have been moments of vital importance that have taken place not on the battlefield, or in the palaces of power, or even in the violence of nature, but between the pages of a book. In our digitised age of instant information it is easy to underestimate the power of the printed word. In his fascinating new book accompanying the ITV series, Melvyn Bragg presents a vivid reminder of the book as agent of social, political and personal revolution. Twelve Books that Changed the World presents a rich variety of human endeavour and a great diversity of characters. There are also surprises. Here are famous books by Darwin, Newton and Shakespeare -- but we also discover the stories behind some less well-known works, such as Marie Stopes' Married Love, the original radical feminist Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman -- and even the rules to an obscure ball game that became the most popular sport in the world ...

When we think of great events in the history of the world, we tend to think of war, revolution, political upheaval or natural catastrophe. But throughout history there have been moments of vital importance that have taken place not on the battlefield, or in the palaces of power, or even in the violence of nature, but between the pages of a book. In our digitised age of instant information it is easy to underestimate the power of the printed word. In his fascinating new book accompanying the ITV series, Melvyn Bragg presents a vivid reminder of the book as agent of social, political and personal revolution. Twelve Books that Changed the World presents a rich variety of human endeavour and a great diversity of characters. There are also surprises. Here are famous books by Darwin, Newton and Shakespeare -- but we also discover the stories behind some less well-known works, such as Marie Stopes' Married Love, the original radical feminist Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman -- and even the rules to an obscure ball game that became the most popular sport in the world ...

1,　 2010年英国BAFTA终身成就奖大奖得主梅尔文•布莱格先生力作，独家推介改变世界、改变中国的12本书，非同一般的感觉！
2, 凤凰卫视•开卷八分钟暨著名主持人、畅销书《常识》作者梁文道先生特别推荐！
（2009年4月23日世界阅读日推荐本书的节目视频和文字：
http://book.ifeng.com/psl/kjbfz/200904/0424_3554_1124313.shtml）
3,　爱书人、知道分子、时尚达人、宅男宅女、围脖织工、八卦爱好者的图文大餐！
（本书特别收录12份大事记、16面精美彩色插图。）
这不是一本通常意义上的经典导读书，而是一次别出心裁的人类社会经济与文化成就的巡礼。英国BAFTA终身成就奖2010年大奖得主、知名小说家和主持人梅尔文•布莱格先生以独特的角度、广阔的视野，推介十二本改变了世界、也改变了中国的书，使我们得以领略这些书籍非凡的诞生历程与巨大的影响，并重新检视阅读的重要性、乐趣和意义。试想，如果其中的任何一本书没有印行出版，我们可能还生活在一个无法想象的世界中。
这12本书已经改变并正在改变21世纪中国人的生活！
如果他们的书不曾诞生，将意味着这样一个世界：
没有牛顿和法拉第，你不会看到神七上天，也没有洗衣机、冰箱可用；
没有亚当•斯密，你不会见识香港和深圳的繁荣，也不大可能去上海逛世博；
没有那帮公立学校毕业生，你不会对中国足球伤心，嗯，也不会有世界杯可看；
没有詹姆士一世和莎士比亚，你不会为学习英语发愁，但也就看不到英美大片了
……
当然，当然，也就不会有这本书摆在你的面前！
【推荐评论】
本来以为这是另一本经典导读，就像从前那些已经出过无数次的入门书，给大家介绍些人人耳熟能详的巨著。没想到这里头还包括了《阿克莱特纺织机专利说明书》，有谁能猜到这竟然是一部改变世界的书呢？
——主持人　作家：梁文道
对使用者非常方便的导读，蕴藏着丰富的想法，如一场人类文化成就的庆典。
——《观察家》Spectator
布莱格的写作充满热情,再一次展现他能将科学与技术转化成令人兴奋且容易亲近的能力。
——《独立报》Independent
这是一本可读性极高的书，容易让读者爱不释手。
——《星期日泰晤士报》The Sunday Times
一本令人鼓舞、为之激赏的好书，插图绝妙。
——《爱尔兰时报》Irish Times
我之所以会挑选这些图书，是因为它们有一个共通的特点：它们着着实实地改变了我们现今所居住的世界，且绝非浮光掠影的短暂风潮所可比拟。无论你步入一间酒吧，或走进一处机场，或在户外散步，或闭门不出，都感受得到这几本书对你当下所过的生活作出了什么样的贡献。
——作者 梅尔文•布莱格