Do you want to know how life was like in the ancient world? History plays an important role in shaping our present life and future. Just like the statement stated that “Without the past, there is no future.”

People always say that it is important to study history. History could help us understand our world, ourselves and others. With lesson from the past, people could learn from the mistakes and improve our present and future life.

This book summarizes the history of the western civilization from the very beginning to the 20th centuries. This is not a textbook and Mr. Gombrich presents the history in an interesting way like using some playful wording to describe the events or items. As Mr. Gombrich once said: "I would like my readers to relax, and to follow the story without having to take notes or to memorize names and dates."