Eyewitness Companions: World History

Book excerpt: The full story of human endeavor - complete with its dramas, wars, schemes, discoveries, and personalities - is laid out before you in this illustrated guide to the history of our world. Who were the Mongols, the Maya, or Isis? How far did the Roman or the British empire stretch? Why did apartheid or Communism begin, and what were the issues in the Vietnam War? Eyewitness Companion: World History is your convenient reference, answering all your questions. But it also tells you why events happen and explain key issues. Its timelines trace events as they happen, from the appearance of the first humans in Africa to first civilizations and then on to recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the space race. It succinctly explains how one event led to another and sums up topics that include ancient Egypt, the Romans, the Renaissance, World Wars I and II, slavery and empire, and Communist China. Dotted throughout this comprehensive volume are sumptuous images that reveal historical world treasures, such as the 16,000-year old cave paintings at Lascaux, Machu Picchu, and the Taj Mahal. With wide coverage of the world's civilizations, events, ideas, and discoveries, Eyewitness Companion: World History is both an essential reference and a fascinating read.