thoughtful and engaging read
I purchased this book to fill in the gaps left by my "western civilization" textbook; on reading through the early chapters and reviewing the organization of the book, I decided to add in some of Robert's sections on the development of Western civilization as well. This book is a thoughtful and cohesive narrative; Roberts style is engaging, and he's included the right amount of historical detail for a book this size. You won't learn everything that happened in every country, but I've never seen a better single-volume treatment of the subject.
There's a newer edition (mine was written in the early 90's); if I were buying today, I'd spring for the newer edition to see how Roberts has incorporated the newer scolarship on early civilizations and the dark ages.
