For one- or two-semester courses in World History, Comparative History, Humanities and Civilization as well as Multicultural Studies programs. An understanding of the history of the world-and understanding why this knowledge is important-has become essential for today's students. Benefiting from the unifying viewpoint of a single author, this lively two-volume narrative tells the story of human events on the move-the exciting event history of wars and politics, booms and busts, the rise and fall of empires, and more. It also reaches beyond the events that have shaped world history to trace the broader development of human institutions and ideas as they evolve through time. Special attention to art and ideas in each period and civilization.

Anthony Esher has taught history at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, for most of his sixty-odd years. But he has also lived in many parts of the United States, accumulated several years of living and travel in Europe, and visited every inhabited continent several times. He spends a minimum of three months overseas each year, sampling the wine, exploring the streets and the ruins, and checking to see if the rainforests are still there. Esler's books reflect his enthusiasms. These include a fascination with generational conflict nurtured in the streets of the sixties, a passion for story-telling, and a preference for panoramic "big picture" history—like The Human Venture.