This comprehensive, mainstream text takes a social approach to history, using political history as its basic framework. It is known for its readability, its attention to recent scholarship, and its new historical interpretations. Material on the Middle Ages has been consolidated to allow more room for non-Western coverage. Two-page "Global Trade" boxed features investigate a variety of important products and commodities, including pottery, tea, slaves, and oil. The feature presents historical background on the commodity, traces its trade throughout the world, and shows its impact on other cultures. About one-third of the maps, illustrations, "Listening to the Past" primary source features, and "Individuals in Society" biographical features in this edition are new.