Random House Compact Atlas of World History: Edited by Geoffrey Parker

At Random House, they take the word compact seriously. The Random House Compact Atlas of World History occupies only 176 pages, but somehow it manages to pack in all the world's major events--from humans' first lurching attempts to walk upright to the collapse of Communism and the growing ozone hole over the South Pole.

The goal, according to editor Geoffrey Parker, is "to convey a sense of the past as a continuing process and thus to provide a fresh perspective on today's world which will meet the requirements and interests of present-day readers in all parts of the globe." The atlas does a good job of presenting the major trends throughout the world, combining fairly detailed maps with concise, expertly written text. It divides world history into four phases (the Ancient World, the Rise of Empires, the Rise of the West, and the Modern World), allowing them to encompass the big events of specific eras and simultaneously showing the ebb and flow of history. The format is a browser's delight, offering each subject in one to two pages, with full-color maps and diagrams supporting the text.