John Haywood presents a grand sweep of global history in an immediately accessible format via concise, insightful and engaging text summaries alongside timelines, maps and illustrations. There are 50 sections, each dealing with significant moments in the human story from the origins of our first ancestors right up to the present day. A short essay introduces and summarizes the most important political and cultural landmarks with a clear timeline then presenting events in four categories: Politics & Economy, Religion & Philosophy, Science & Technology and Arts & Architecture. Maps revealing the changes in our physical world at key junctures in human history as well as galleries of images illustrating the rich and diverse products of our cultural heritage, offer a visual path through time.

From this the reader is able to access a whole new understanding of contemporary events across the globe, making unexpected and surprising links and connections across history. Who knew, for example, that at the same time the Bayeux Tapestry was being completed in Europe, Chinese scientist Shen Kuo was correctly explaining the origin of fossils and Ghana was being conquered by the Almoravids? That as Peter the Great was modernizing Russia, La Salle was exploring the length of the Mississippi River and Christopher Wren was finishing St Paul's Cathedral in London? This original and authoritative book offers a whole new way of appreciating the diverse array of events that have shaped world history.