Tells the story of human endeavour that laid out in all its grandeur and folly, drama and pain. This book reflects what now seems to be the inexorable rise of Asia and the increasingly troubled situation in the West.
"The leading historical mind of his generation" -The Guardian
"A stupendous achievement . . . Unrivalled world history for our day . . . it is unbelievable in its facts and almost incontestable in its judgements." -A. J. P. Taylor, The Observer (London)
"At once entertaining and scholarly... a book as challenging as it is consistently absorbing" - Christopher Hibbert
"A brilliant book ... the most outstanding history of the world yet written" - J. H. Plumb
"A work of outstanding breadth of scholarship and prenetrating judgements. There is nothing better of its kind - Sunday Telegraph
