This book takes a dramatically original approach to the history of humanity, using objects which previous civilisations have left behind them, often accidentally, as prisms through which we can explore past worlds and the lives of the men and women who lived in them. The book's range is enormous. It begins with one of the earliest surviving objects made by human hands, a chopping tool from the Olduvai gorge in Africa, and ends with an object from the 21st century which represents the world we live in today. Neil MacGregor's aim is not simply to describe these remarkable things, but to show us their significance - how a stone pillar tells us about a great Indian emperor preaching tolerance to his people, how Spanish pieces of eight tell us about the beginning of a global currency or how an early Victorian tea-set tells us about the impact of empire. Each chapter immerses the reader in a past civilization accompanied by an exceptionally well-informed guide. Seen through this lens, history is a kaleidoscope - shifting, interconnected, constantly surprising, and shaping our world today in ways that most of us have never imagined. An intellectual and visual feast, it is one of the most engrossing and unusual history books published in years.

尼尔•麦格雷戈 // Neil MacGregor

大英博物馆馆长，伦敦古文物学会成员，英国著名艺术史学者。

1946年出生于苏格兰格拉斯哥，在牛津大学研修德文与法文，后在法国巴黎高等师范学校攻读哲学，之后在爱丁堡大学修习法律，1972年取得苏格兰律师执照。1973年在英国首屈一指的艺术史学院考陶德艺术学院研修艺术史。

1975年至1981年，在英国雷丁大学教授艺术与建筑史。1981年至1987年，主编英语世界历史最悠久的美术及装饰艺术期刊《伯林顿杂志》。1987年至2002年，主持英国国家美术馆。2002年至今，任大英博物馆馆长。2010年，获英国女王颁赠功绩勋章。

主要作品有《目睹拯救：艺术作品中的基督形象》《大师之作的诞生》《莎士比亚的动荡世界》等。