Take a fascinating look at western civilization that reveals the diversity and richness of the human experience Explore Duiker and Spielvogel's brief, best-selling WESTERN CIVILIZATION: A BRIEF HISTORY, VOLUME I, TO 1715 and discover the common challenges and experiences that unite the human past?and inform the future. The authors weave the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, and military aspects of history into a gripping story that is as memorable as it is instructive. In each chapter, you'll find introductions and conclusions that give you a context within which to understand these disparate themes. And the authors include dozens of maps and primary sources--including official documents, poems, and songs--that enliven the past while introducing you to the challenges involved in interpreting history.