This Eyewitness Companions book covers world history from the prehistoric world to current events in 2007. Publication was in 2010, so there may be later references I simply missed. Phillip Parker does a wonderful job of telling both sides of the various issues in a fair and concise manner.
Phillip Parker has written a number of books. He studied history at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna, Italy before working in the British Diplomatic Service. And, he also published historical atlases.
Parker mentions in his section about “What is History?” his decisions about what events and people to include. “Yet by condensing the whole of history down to its essentials – the personalities and events (as well as the causes) that shaped our world – the whole scope of the human story becomes more comprehensible.”
This world history text is full of wonderful illustrations and photos. It reads more like a magazine than a textbook. And, yet, it covers a lot of material quickly. I think it would be a wonderful tool for homeschooling families. Each section could easily be turned into a research assignment, several even, where students would be tasked with expanding upon the material provided.
A particularly neat feature of this text are the lists and directories at the end. Lists like the longest-reigning monarchs, the Egyptian Pharaohs, Roman Emperors, Emperors of China, advances in military technology (i.e. when was the first time a crossbow or tank were used), the Crusades, historical landmarks around the world and too many more too mention make this a great book to add to any home library. They offer a quick reference for the people and events of our world history.
If you do opt to purchase the hard-copy version of this book, be careful. The 2010 version that’s available online has the wonderful lists and directories. The newer, 2017 version, apparently does not; at least I didn’t see it with the Amazon preview tool. Personally, I think those directories are more than worth losing 7 years of modern history. If, on the other hand, you would prefer the latest version, I’ve included a link to that as well.
Table of Contents for World History
What is History?
Timelines of World History
The Prehistoric World to 3000 BCE
Human Ancestors
The Earliest Humans
Early Societies
The Ancient World 3000 – 700 BCE
The Near East
Egypt
Europe
South Asia
The Americas
The Classical World 700 BCE – 600 CE
Persia
Greece
Rome
Celtic and Germanic Europe
People of the Steppes
India
China
The Americas
The Medieval World 600 – 1450
East and Southeast Asia
The Middle East and North Africa
India
Sub-Saharan Africa
Europe
Byzantine Empire
The Americas
Polynesia
The Early Modern World 1450 – 1750
Asia
The Americas
Europe
The World of Empires 1750 – 1914
The Americas
Europe
Asia
Oceania
Africa
The Modern World 1914 –
World War I
Between the Wars
World War II
Europe after World War II
The Americas
Asia and the Middle East
Africa
New Challenges
Directories
Kings & Rulers
Wars & Battles
Historical Landmarks
View this Free Online Material at the source:
World History
