Short History of The World How long have humans been around? When was the Bronze Age? Where did the first civilisations develop? What were the Spice Islands? Who was Kublai Khan? This book answers these questions and many more in a rapid journey through history from the Big Bang to the 21st century. To help readers put events, places and empires into context, the book includes 36 specially commissioned maps to accompany the text. The result is a history that is reassuringly epic in scope but refreshingly short in length - an excellent place to start to bring your knowledge of world history