[close] Brief yet detailed, this book provides a thoughtful history of human civilizations while maintaining a balance between the Western world and the rest of global civilization. It covers the general intellectual and material history of human societies and cultures that have left some kind of written and/or archeological record behind. A four-part organization covers the world in transition, enlightenment and revolution in the west, the modern world, and global conflict and change. For anyone trying to understand the historical experiences that have informed and shaped the world's cultures. [close]