Editions

Sapiens

Sapiens

  • A Brief History of Humankind

Brought to you by Penguin.

**Over 1 million copies sold**
**The Sunday Times #1 bestseller**

FIRE gave us power

FARMING made us hungry for more

MONEY gave us purpose

SCIENCE made us deadly

This is the thrilling account of our extraordinary history – from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.

'Sapiens is the sort of book that sweeps the cobwebs out of your brain... Harari's writing radiates power and clarity, making the world strange and new' - The Sunday Times

'I would recommend Sapiens to anyone who’s interested in the history and future of our species' - Bill Gates

'Interesting and provocative… It gives you a sense of how briefly we’ve been on this Earth' - Barack Obama

Reviews

  • I would recommend Sapiens to anyone who’s interested in the history and future of our species

    Bill Gates

  • Interesting and provocative… It gives you a sense of how briefly we’ve been on this Earth

    Barack Obama

  • Jaw-dropping from the first word to the last… It may be the best book I’ve ever read

    Chris Evans

  • Tackles the biggest questions of history and the modern world… Written in unforgettably vivid language

    Jared Diamond

  • Startling... It changes the way you look at the world

    Simon Mayo

More from this Author

About the Author

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'. His most recent book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, was a Number One Bestseller and was described by Bill Gates as 'fascinating' and 'crucial'.

Yuval Noah Harari

Read more

/content/dam/prh/articles/archive/Yuval_Noah_Harari_Portrait_6_credit_Olivier_Middendorp_SNIPPET.jpg

Features

Yuval Harari: Are politicians doing enough to prepare the world for the 21st Century?

In an age where trust in politicans is constantly contested, we asked 21 Lessons for the 21st Century author Yuval Noah Harari where they have gone wrong, and what might come next.
/content/dam/prh/articles/archive/sapiens-snippet.jpg

Features

Sapiens: a book club reading guide

A useful discussion guide for book clubs and reading groups talking about Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens.
/content/dam/prh/articles/archive/harari_podcast_image.png

Podcasts

Yuval Noah Harari on Homo Deus

In a podcast special Yuval Noah Harari explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century – from overcoming death to creating artificial life

Our Use of Cookies

We use cookies on this site to enable certain parts of the site to function and to collect information about your use of the site so that we can improve our visitors’ experience.

For more on our cookies and changing your settings click here

Strictly Necessary

Strictly Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions. See More.

Analytics

Analytics cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. See More.

Preferences & Features

Preference and Feature cookies allow our website to remember choices you make, such as your language preferences and any customisations you make to pages on our website during your visit. See More.

Targeting / Advertising

Targeting cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you and your interests. They perform functions like preventing the same content from reappearing, ensuring ads are displayed and, in some cases, selecting content based on your interests. See More.