I read his Atlas of Medieval History last year so when I saw this I snapped it up. It's just as good. He is outdated on one or two points but you have the grand sweep of history from the Neanderthals to the last days of the Roman Empire, all told with personality and humour. I learnt loads. I never knew Europe had native silk. My favourite Kingdom is Meroe which never seems to either invade anyone or be invaded. Are we looking at the only competently managed place on the map? ( )

It's hard to get interesting coverage of the Hellenistic period, and the Penguin atlas has turned into a very useful resource, ecpecially with snapshot map format they use. Perhaps not a beginner's book, but certainly a useful one. ( )