The Cartoon History of the Universe is a book series about the history of the world. It is written and illustrated by American cartoonist, professor, and mathematician Larry Gonick, who started the project in 1978. Each book explains a period of world history in a loosely chronological order. The final volume covers history from the late 18th century to early 2008. The final two volumes, published in 2007 and 2009, are named "The Cartoon History of the Modern World" volumes one and two. 