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  • Published: 25 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781787332812
  • Imprint: Jonathan Cape
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 248
  • RRP: $48.00

Sapiens A Graphic History, Volume 1

The Birth of Humankind




The first volume of the graphic adaptation of Yuval Noah Harari's global phenomenon and smash Sunday Times #1 bestseller, with gorgeous full-colour illustrations and a beautiful package - the perfect gift for the curious beings in your life

The first volume of the graphic adaptation of Yuval Noah Harari's global phenomenon and smash Sunday Times #1 bestseller, with gorgeous full-colour illustrations and a beautiful package - the perfect gift for the curious beings in your life.

One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one-homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?

In this first volume of the full-colour illustrated adaptation of his groundbreaking book, renowned historian Yuval Harari tells the story of humankind's creation and evolution, exploring the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be "human". From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens challenges us to reconsider accepted beliefs, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and view specific events within the context of larger ideas.

Featuring 256 pages of full-colour illustrations and easy-to-understand text covering the first part of the full-length original edition, this adaptation of the mind-expanding book furthers the ongoing conversation as it introduces Harari's ideas to a wider new readership.

  • Published: 25 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781787332812
  • Imprint: Jonathan Cape
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 248
  • RRP: $48.00

About the authors

Yuval Noah Harari

Prof Yuval Noah Harari has a PhD in History from the University of Oxford and now lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specialising in World History. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind has become an international phenomenon attracting a legion of fans from Bill Gates and Barack Obama to Chris Evans and Jarvis Cocker, and is published in over forty-five languages worldwide. It was a Sunday Times Number One bestseller and was in the Top Ten for over nine months in paperback. His follow-up to Sapiens, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow was also a Top Ten Bestseller and was described by the Guardian as ‘even more readable, even more important, than his excellent Sapiens’.

Praise for Sapiens A Graphic History, Volume 1

Shortly before the pandemic, I read Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. It's not an exaggeration to say I've thought of it every day since.

Curtis Sittenfeld, Guardian

[Sapiens] has been one of the most spectacular publishing successes of the past decade.

Killian Fox, Observer

The best-selling book by Yuval Noah Harari has been beautifully adapted into a graphic novel just in time for Christmas. The story of humankind is told through the delicate illustrations, bringing science and history together to help us understand how Homo sapiens came to inhabit the Earth.

Amy Barrett, BBC Science Focus Magazine

Bringing that fascinating story of our collective history to life in an entirely new way... [Sapiens Graphic Novel is] action-packed... Brilliantly funny.

Jenny Brewer, It's Nice That

Harari's out-of-the-box thinking is arguably his greatest strength... These theories are what moves history forward, and what makes the book so engaging for an astonishing number of people.

Katherine Prentice, Glasgow Guardian

Sapiens is an epic history of humankind, at once readable and wise and compelling and thought-provoking... A breath of fresh air.

Bookmunch

In case there's any household in the nation that doesn't yet own a copy of Yuval Noah Harari's zillion-selling Sapiens...there's now a zippy new digest of the book in comics form... An imaginative and prankish gallop through human prehistory.

Spectator

[A] wonderful graphic novel... Smart, funny and dipped deep in the reality of what we as a species are... Crammed with the details that made the original so jaw-dropping and essential.

Big Issue *Books of the Year*

Lively, engaging... Transforms humanity's complex evolutionary story into something accessible enough for anyone to enjoy.

BBC History Magazine

Perfect for younger readers... [and] filled with lively characters.

History Revealed

Fantastic... Even more approachable than the original book.

Kathryn Gempf, Chemistry World