Norman Davies offers us a monumental synthesis of European history. It is an ambitious historiographical endeavor that begins in prehistory and extends to the 1990s.

In twelve extensive chapters, Davies narrates the origins of Europe, focuses on ancient Greece and Rome, takes us through the Middle Ages, turns to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, examines the European Revolutions, the emergence of "sovereign Europe" in the 19th century, and its gradual decline in the 20th century.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]