Much like our earlier Atlas of Exploration, this attractive, large-format volume features 135 two-page spreads that highlight key moments in world history, each spread blending colorful, maps and illustrations with authoritative text. For instance, for the American Revolution, readers will find three maps-British North America before the War, the Colonial economy (indicating which areas specialized in fishing, timber, tobacco, and so forth), and military movements during the War itself -- plus an informative discussion of the Rebellion.

The Atlas is divided into five sections: 1. The Ancient World (with spreads on topics such as the first civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China, the Silk Road, and the Roman Empire); 2. The Medieval World (the spread of Islam, the Vikings, the Economy of Europe, and the Inca and Aztec Empires); 3. The Early Modern World (the European discovery of the New World, the Reformation, the growth of science); 4. The Age of Revolutions (intruding the Industrial Revolution, the American Civil. War, and the Modernization of Japan); and 5. The Twentieth Century (the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the USA Since 1945).

Including a 22-page time chart, a 20-page gazetteer of historical events, people, and places, a 20-page index, and a helpful bibliography, here is an informative blend of maps by world-renowned cartographers and text by expert academic consultants that graphically captures the flow of civilizations through time.