The History of the World

This is the definitive visual guide to all the people, places and events that have shaped our history. Beginning his narrative almost 1.5 million years ago with the emergence of Homo erectus, Frank Welsh recounts the epic story of human growth, survival and achievement across all continents and ages.

Eschewing the dry and colourless approach of similar books, Welsh here brings great storytelling skill and experience to bear on a narrative that is rich in anecdote and incident. From earliest human society to the Holy Roman Empire, from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, from the Industrial Revolution to the age of terrorism, this uniquely accessible book sheds revelatory light on every aspect of our historical experience.

Drawing on the latest scholarship and replete with photographs, maps, documents and diagrams, many reproduced in stunning life-size detail, The History of the World is a landmark achievement. Anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the conflicts and dilemmas of the present will find no better place to start than this comprehensive and compelling book.

First published by Quercus (Hachette, UK) in 2012.