The conventional narratives of world history tend to focus on the rise of Western civilization, concentrating attention on ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and the expansion of Europe. The stories of the great civilizations of China, India, and Japan, and consequently the experience of the majority of people in the world, have been relegated to a minor place. "World History" adopts a radically different approach. Starting from the premise that human history should be considered as a whole, it examines the evolution of humans, their life as hunters and gatherers, and the eventual adoption of agriculture, before referring to the emergence of civilizations worldwide, such as in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, the Indus Valley, Mesoamerica, and Peru. It continues to narrate the history of the first empires, emphasizing not only their differences but also their similarities. It explains how contacts were made between them and how technologies, ideas, and the world's great religions traveled from one to another. It describes the great empires of Islam, China, and the Mongols. Only towards the end of the story does Europe slowly come to dominate the world, against a backdrop of technical and social and economic changes.

Pages: 944, Dimensions: 15.3x15.3cm