World History: The Story of Mankind from Prehistory to the Present

One of the foremost historians of our time surveys the story of mankind. Beginning with prehistory, when the age of hunters slowly turned into an era when agriculture dominated change, through the intellectual transformations of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, to the industrial era and the modern world, Hugh Thomas stresses themes of particular interest and significance in human history and details the influence of advances in technology.
Originally published in 1980 under the title History of the World and unavailable for some years, this revised edition includes additions, deletions and corrections made since the original publication and changes in the final chapters. There is also a new epilogue and new maps.