History

Global in scope, William McNeill's widely acclaimed one-volume history emphasizes the four
Old World civilizations of the Middle East, India, China, and Europe, paying particular attention
to their interaction across time as well as the impact on historical scholarship in light of the most
recent archaeological discoveries. The engaging and informative narrative touches on all aspects
of civilization, including geography, communication, and technological and artistic
developments, and provides extensive coverage of the modern era. This new edition includes a
thoroughly updated bibliographic essay and a new discussion of the most significant events in
world history and civilization since 1976.

Who is William Mcneill?

William Hardy McNeill (October 31, 1917 – July 8, 2016) was born in Vancouver British
Columbia, Canada,and was a historian and author, noted for his argument that contact and
exchange among civilizations is what drives human history forward, first postulated in The Rise
of the West (1963). He was the Robert A. Milikan Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of
History at the University of Chicago, where he taught from 1947 until his retirement in 1987.