When history is presented as well as it is in this substantial one-volume encyclopedia, it proves to be an irresistible subject for readers 9 and up. Arranged chronologically from 40,000 BC through the early 21st century, each section includes biographies of important people and key features on the art, architecture, and technology of the period. With 3500 indexed references and more than 2,000 full-color illustrations and photographs, this uncommonly detailed reference goes beyond mere definitions to give a sense of what life was like for the ancient Romans, Alexandrian monks, Byzantines, Samurai, North Africans, and Native Americans.