“I first became an avid student of David Christian by watching his course, Big History, on DVD, and so I am very happy to see his enlightening presentation of the world’s history captured in these essays. I hope it will introduce a wider audience to this gifted scientist and teacher.” —Bill Gates

A great historian can make clear the connections between the first Homo sapiens and today’s version of the species, and a great storyteller can make those connections come alive. David Christian is both, and This Fleeting World: A Short History of Humanity, makes the journey—from the earliest foraging era to the agrarian era to our own modern era—a fascinating one. Ready to help your students give up their preconceptions that anything old is probably boring? Enter This Fleeting World.

A compact, easy-to-read overview recommended by teachers for curriculum development, classroom preparation, and student review. This Fleeting World is popular with world history teachers who need a bird’s eye view and with students preparing for the Advanced Placement World History examination. It’s used in college-level world history courses in the United States and Europe.

“This Fleeting World provides world history teachers and students the ‘big picture’ that world history demands: big enough to incorporate historical content beyond just the last few thousand years; yet simple enough to be easily understood by average readers.” — Bill Strickland, College Board Consultant for AP World History