In these online times, it’s utterly impossible to imagine how we even managed to survive without the internet and computers. A recent newspaper article wrote that “we don’t have time to read” anymore. Well, we do, we just don’t. They’re two different things.

So here’s a blast from the past. In 1975, Friedrich Saathen (a member of the UE editorial department) published his multicolour graphic timeline called Musik im Spiegel der Zeit (Music in the mirror of time).

In three folded sheets, he charts the history of music from the Iron Age up to that pinnacle of modernity: 1975.

Now, thanks to the magic of the internet, we can show you Saathen’s work of art. Click on the images below to see high resolution zoomable scans.

We still have some printed copies in stock. The book also has a text section with descriptions of each entry. You can order a copy in our online shop.