This volume covers Near Eastern history until the fall of the Achaemenid Empire in the 330s BC, and the history of India, China, and Japan up to the 1930s.

The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant is an eleven-volume set of books, which is consider by many as the twentieth century's classic masterwork of history for the general reader. The books are organized in such a way that they can be read as individual works or be read out of sequence with no loss to their meaning. The style of the books is conversational and peppered with puns and an overall enjoyable to read.

Durant is amazingly concise while still making his points. That being said, he does require that the reader do some work: remember people and events. However, the books do not require heavy note taking or anything because these books are a fun read. His style is a good mix of history as literature and history as a science. The mix is necessary for the sake of readability and those of you who have been reading modern histories that seem rely too much on footnotes and data points or provide little at all will find his style refreshing.

For the student of history, this set is a fantastic collection. If you are looking to find an all encompassing treatise of world history, this where to start. You will not be disappointed.