On November 08, 2009, Philip Fourie (pdfourie@sun.ac.za) said:

Dear Mr Bryson,
I am fairly sure that you are familiar with "A short history of the world" by HG Wells. I have recently been rereading my copy (2nd ed, rev 1950) and as always am amazed at how well his interpretation of the history of humankind has held up, and how farseeing he was in his pleas for global cooperation.
To emphasize the point, I quote from a very recent book by Camilla Toulmin called "Climate change in Africa". From Chapter 1: "The relentless pursuit of separate national interests by rich and poor alike can, in a totally interdependent biosphere, produce global disasters of irreversible environmental damage".
What I would very much like to see is an updated edition of Wells' book, bringing the story up to the present, and in my opinion you are the person to do it. You could again use the method used by Wells, and by yourself in "A short history of nearly everything", namely to consult the experts on separate topics, digest and integrate their contributions and produce a readable story, spiced with humour, which would show the ordinary (literate) human being her/his connection to the rest of mankind.
I fervently hope that you will be willing to take on this task.

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