The World to 1500: A Global History, by L. S. Stavrianos

What a great reading! One of the best books I have read. It narrates major events in the human history, and more importantly explains what caused them and their impact in both time and geo dimensions. This is truly a "global" view because it discusses the interactions among the events and forces across the globe.

I had little history knowledge, and this book fills me in. Many questions in my mind, like why Greece and Roman declined, were now clarified. Many misunderstanding, like human leading a life as food gatherers because of lacking knowledge of  agriculture, were now corrected. Most importantly, it explains why our world evolves to today's way.

Prentice Hall. Seventh Edition. ISBN 0139239057.