This updated edition of the bestselling A Very Short History of the World – eminent historian Geoffrey Blainey's account of the grand adventure of human history – features new material about the rapid evolution of China and the continued effects of terrorism on the world stage.

Professor Blainey traces the story of the world's people during the last four million years, beginning before the human race moved out of Africa to explore and settle other continents. A consummate storyteller, he makes the past come alive as he touches on the trivial and the grand: everything from changes in diet to profound discoveries and mighty empires.