Sapiens: A Graphic History

Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2014) provides a 'big picture' approach to human history. 

Sapiens has been reimagined in a graphic novel in collaboration with comics artists David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave. The comic format makes the content accessible to a wider audience.

Yuval says historians don't usually talk about physics, chemistry and biology but human history is actually a direct continuation of physics, chemistry and biology. 

The unique storytelling approach in the books blending different subject areas makes for a fascinating read.

The graphic novel makes you forget that you are consuming scientific facts.

Sapiens: A Graphic History will be published in four volumes. The first two are currently available -

Volume 1 – The Birth of Humankind 

Volume 2: The Pillars of Civilization

The information presented is equally distributed among the characters: Professor Saraswati speaks only on biology and zoology, Father Klüg deals with archaeology and theology. The extinction of the mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers is retold as a 'whodunit' movie starring a Detective Lopez. Human evolution is reimagined as a tacky reality TV show, the first encounter between Sapiens and Neanderthals is explored through the masterpieces of modern art.

Daniel Casanave has also illustrated Wine: A Graphic History