If in the year 1411 you had been able to circumnavigate the globe, you would have been most impressed by the dazzling civilizations of the Orient. The Forbidden City was under construction in Ming Beijing; in the Near East, the Ottomans were closing in on Constantinople. By contrast, England would have struck you as a miserable backwater ravaged by plague, bad sanitation and incessant war. The other quarrelsome kingdoms of Western Europe – Aragon, Castile, France, Portugal and Scotland – would have seemed little better. As for fifteenth-century North America, it was an anarchic wilderness compared with the realms of the Aztecs and Incas. The idea that the West would come to dominate the Rest for most of the next half millennium would have struck you as wildly fanciful. And yet it happened. What was it about the civilization of Western Europe that allowed it to trump the outwardly superior empires of the Orient? The answer, Niall Ferguson argues, was that the West developed six “killer applications” that the Rest lacked: competition, science, democracy, medicine, consumerism and the work ethic. The key question today is whether or not the West has lost its monopoly on these six things. If so, Ferguson warns, we may be living through the end of Western ascendancy. Civilization takes readers on their own extraordinary journey around the world – from the Grand Canal at Nanjing to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul; from Machu Picchu in the Andes to Shark Island, Namibia; from the proud towers of Prague to the secret churches of Wenzhou. It is the story of sailboats, missiles, land deeds, vaccines, blue jeans and Chinese Bibles. It is the defining narrative of modern world history.

1913，如鲜花怒放、充满无限可能性的一年，而堕落的种子已悄然萌发。在文学、艺术和音乐方面，所有的极端情绪都在肆意燃烧自己，仿佛再见不到明天的太阳。弗兰茨·卡夫卡给菲丽丝·鲍尔写极长又极美的求婚信；普鲁斯特在追忆他的似水流年；斯特拉文斯基和勋伯格被无休止的丑闻缠身；在米兰，第一家普拉达连锁店开业；杜尚把一个车轮安在一把餐椅上；西格蒙德·弗洛伊德与赖纳·玛利亚·里尔克一起开怀畅饮；一个叫作阿道夫·希特勒的奥地利年轻画家在兜售他清新的城市风景画……1913的夏天过后，天翻地覆，漫长的19世纪终于让位给破碎与极端的20世纪。

【《文明之光》系列荣获由中宣部、中国图书评论学会和中央电视台联合推选的2014“中国好书”奖】
吴军博士从对人类文明产生了重大影响却在过去被忽略的历史故事里，选择了有意思的几十个片段特写，以人文和科技、经济结合的视角，有机地展现了一幅人类文明发展的宏大画卷。
《文明之光 》系列大致按照从地球诞生到近现代的顺序讲述了人类文明进程的各个阶段，每个章节相对独立，全景式地展现了人类文明发展历程中的多样性。
《文明之光》系列第二册讲述了从近代科学兴起，到工业革命时代，以及原子能应用这一历史阶段，共八个专题。
看完这个系列，读者朋友可以体会到，在漫长的历史长河中，人类社会虽然不断遇到一些困难和问题，但人类总是会有办法解决它们，我们要成为一个“理性乐观派”；其次是能够认识到普通人对文明发展的贡献，每个人都可以成为贡献者。
【编辑推荐】
一曲理性乐观者的牧歌 通俗易懂的世界通史入门读物
娓娓道来几十段精彩的文明史片段，闪耀人类文明的三卷赞歌！
作者以人文与科技、经济结合的视角，选取对人类历史发展产生重大影响的人或事件：大航海，文艺复兴，古代罗马，美第奇家族，瓷器，牛顿，爱迪生，航天飞机，原子能，绘画、音乐，计算机时代……透过有趣易懂的故事式的讲解，揭示人类文明不断解决问题、曲折前行的辉煌历程，以及平凡人等对社会进步的巨大贡献。在阅读过程中，读者既能够增长历史知识，也可以体会到人类文明发展历程的多样性。
在具体的讲述上，作者以科学的态度提及不同的观点，并不只执一家之言或是轻易给出一个结论，比如评价宋朝就提到了钱穆、陈寅恪、费正清的不同观点。正是这种贯穿始终的科学态度，让这本书给人启发的同时也令人信服。
万科集团董事长王石先生、美国著名华裔物理学家张首晟教授分别为《文明之光》作序，对本书给予了高度评价。

陈四益校点

The Greeks surpassed them in learning, the Celts in bravery, the Germans in strength, the Etruscans in technology, and the Carthaginians in commerce. But it was the Romans who built the greatest empire the world has ever seen. Already a bestseller in Japan, China and Korea, acclaimed Japanese historian Nanami SHIONO’s fifteen-volume series-now available for the first time in English-takes readers on a thousand-year odyssey beginning with the city’s mythical founding by a humble shepherd raised by a she-wolf.
*CONTENTS*
A Note to Readers of the English Edition
Preface
Introduction
Chapter One: The Birth of Rome
Chapter Two: Republican Rome
Chronology
References
About the Series and Author

西元前264年，因西西里島的領土問題，羅馬與握有地中海制海權和商權的腓尼基人殖民都市－－迦太基發生衝突，歷經三次的布尼克戰役，羅馬於西元前146年殲滅迦太基城。西元前133年，羅馬併吞努曼提亞，使西班牙內政趨於安定，羅馬掌握西地中海的霸權，並陸續向東一一征服馬其頓、希臘等城市，更遠征敘利亞，將小亞細亞納入版圖，使地中海成為羅馬人的「內海」。 本書以戰爭為題材，描述這一百三十年間羅馬稱霸地中海的歷史，尤其詳盡述說從西元前218年，漢尼拔從西班牙率領眾群，翻越阿爾卑斯山，進攻義大利本土，到西元前202年，羅馬名將西比奧於北非扎馬一役擊敗漢尼拔，被稱為「漢尼拔戰爭」的第二次布尼克戰役。歷時十六年，雙方八回合的會戰，作者緊湊舖陳令人擊掌稱快的戰爭場面，勝利逆轉的精彩情節，鮮明地呈現登場歷史人物的真實面貌。 戰爭反映人類的思維和行為方式。為什麼知識優越的希臘人、軍事力量強大的迦太基人最後會敗給羅馬人？而什麼才是決定戰爭勝、敗的因素？是因緣際會？是天時地利？還是領導者本身的人格特質？

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000, by Paul Kennedy, first published in 1987, explores the politics and economics of the Great Powers from 1500 to 1980 and the reason for their decline. It then continues by forecasting the positions of China, Japan, the European Economic Community (EEC), the Soviet Union and the United States through the end of the 20th century

For over thirty years David S. Landes's The Unbound Prometheus has offered an unrivalled history of industrial revolution and economic development in Europe. Now, in this updated edition, the author reframes and reasserts his original arguments in the light of debates about globalisation and comparative economic growth. The book begins with a classic account of the characteristics, progress, and political, economic and social implications of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, France and Germany. Professor Landes here raises the much-debated question: why was Europe the first to industrialise? He then charts the economic history of the twentieth-century: the effect of the First World War in accelerating the dissolution of the old international economy; the economic crisis of 1929-32; Europe's recovery and unprecedented economic growth following the Second World War. He concludes that only by continuous industrial revolution can Europe and the world sustain itself in the years ahead.

In this magisterial new study, Peter Burke explores the social and cultural history of the languages spoken or written in Europe between the invention of printing and the French Revolution, arguing that, from a linguistic point of view, 1450 to 1789 should be regarded as a distinct period. One major theme of the book is the relation between languages and communities (regions, churches, occupations and genders as well as nations) and the place of language as a way of identifying others as well as a symbol of one's own identity. A second, linked theme is that of competition: between Latin and the vernaculars, between different vernaculars, dominant and subordinate, and finally between different varieties of the same vernacular, such as standard languages and dialects. Written by one of Europe's leading cultural historians, this book restores the history of the many languages of Europe in a large variety of contexts.

《房龙地理》是一本关于“人”的地理书。房龙独到地从地理的角度来
描述各国或地区的历史演变，分析不同人群的性格特征，阐释人与地球——
我们唯一的、共同的家园——的关系。既然我们的行星“已经变成了一个巨
大的运转当中的公司”，生活于其中的人们只有合作——而不仅仅是“拿走
”，也不仅仅是“给予”——才能和平而有序。
房龙在《房龙地理》中没有限于讨论地球的自然特征，也没有罗列枯燥
的数字或堆砌深奥的词汇，而是把人作为重点，来探究人的生存命运，试图
寻找到人类幸福的共通之路。房龙用文学手法赋予知识以灵性，把自然地理
的规律和人文的千姿百态展现在读者面前。

Henry Kissinger offers in
a deep meditation on the roots of international harmony and global disorder. Drawing on his experience as one of the foremost statesmen of the modern era—advising presidents, traveling the world, observing and shaping the central foreign policy events of recent decades—Kissinger now reveals his analysis of the ultimate challenge for the twenty-first century: how to build a shared international order in a world of divergent historical perspectives, violent conflict, proliferating technology, and ideological extremism.
There has never been a true “world order,” Kissinger observes. For most of history, civilizations defined their own concepts of order. Each considered itself the center of the world and envisioned its distinct principles as universally relevant. China conceived of a global cultural hierarchy with the Emperor at its pinnacle. In Europe, Rome imagined itself surrounded by barbarians; when Rome fragmented, European peoples refined a concept of an equilibrium of sovereign states and sought to export it across the world. Islam, in its early centuries, considered itself the world’s sole legitimate political unit, destined to expand indefinitely until the world was brought into harmony by religious principles. The United States was born of a conviction about the universal applicability of democracy—a conviction that has guided its policies ever since.
Now international affairs take place on a global basis, and these historical concepts of world order are meeting. Every region participates in questions of high policy in every other, often instantaneously. Yet there is no consensus among the major actors about the rules and limits guiding this process, or its ultimate destination. The result is mounting tension.
Grounded in Kissinger’s deep study of history and his experience as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State,
guides readers through crucial episodes in recent world history. Kissinger offers a unique glimpse into the inner deliberations of the Nixon administration’s negotiations with Hanoi over the end of the Vietnam War, as well as Ronald Reagan’s tense debates with Soviet Premier Gorbachev in Reykjavík. He offers compelling insights into the future of U.S.–China relations and the evolution of the European Union, and examines lessons of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Taking readers from his analysis of nuclear negotiations with Iran through the West’s response to the Arab Spring and tensions with Russia over Ukraine,
anchors Kissinger’s historical analysis in the decisive events of our time.
Provocative and articulate, blending historical insight with geopolitical prognostication,
is a unique work that could come only from a lifelong policymaker and diplomat.

Chosen by BusinessWeek as One of the Top Ten Business Books of the Year
With apologies to Hegel, Marx, and Lenin, the basic unit of modern society is neither the state, nor the commune, nor the party; it is the company. From this bold premise, John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge chart the rise of one of history’s great catalysts for good and evil.
In a “fast-paced and well-written” work (Forbes), the authors reveal how innovations such as limitations on liability have permitted companies to rival religions and even states in importance, governing the flow of wealth and controlling human affairs–all while being largely exempt from the rules that govern our lives.
The Company is that rare, remarkable book that fills a major gap we scarcely knew existed. With it, we are better able to make sense of the past four centuries, as well as the events of today.

这本书全面勾勒了英国从农业化社会发展成为工业化社会的历史过程，再现当时英国的农业、工业、政治、宗教等概况，同时对英国的经济结构、人口结构、物质生活、精神生活等各个侧面，做了生动的描述，对其世界性的历史意义，做了较为客观的评述。
本书不乏新颖的观点，富有启迪性，且文字生动流畅，可读性强，对史学、社会学和我国现代化的研究都有借鉴作用

本书以贸易进化历程为基本线索，贯穿曾左右时局的历史人物、改变历史的著名战争、贸易发展不可逾越的里程碑，以及数十位著名经济学家的深度解读，讲述一部贸易发展与市场争夺、政治博弈、金权斗争、霸主易位缠绕交错的历史。
摸透历史，看清时局……几百年前的博弈今天仍在上演、几百年前的手腕仍在使用但更厉害更复杂，不管是国家还是企业，如何于艰险时局中摸清出路，才是本书最重要的意义所在。

100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one.
Us.
Homo sapiens.
How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come?
In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical - and sometimes devastating - breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, palaeontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come?
Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future.

From the reviews of the third edition: "The author’s goal for Mathematics and its History is to provide a “bird’s-eye view of undergraduate mathematics.” (p. vii) In that regard it succeeds admirably. ... Mathematics and its History is a joy to read. The writing is clear, concise and inviting. The style is very different from a traditional text. ... The author has done a wonderful job of tying together the dominant themes of undergraduate mathematics. ... While Stillwell does a wonderful job of tying together seemingly unrelated areas of mathematics, it is possible to read each chapter independently. I would recommend this fine book for anyone who has an interest in the history of mathematics. For those who teach mathematics, it provides lots of information which could easily be used to enrich an opening lecture in most any undergraduate course. It would be an ideal gift for a department’s outstanding major or for the math club president. Pick it up at your peril — it is hard to put down!" (Richard Wilders, MAA Reviews) From the reviews of the second edition: "This book covers many interesting topics not usually covered in a present day undergraduate course, as well as certain basic topics such as the development of the calculus and the solution of polynomial equations. The fact that the topics are introduced in their historical contexts will enable students to better appreciate and understand the mathematical ideas involved...If one constructs a list of topics central to a history course, then they would closely resemble those chosen here." (David Parrott, Australian Mathematical Society) "The book...is presented in a lively style without unnecessary detail. It is very stimulating and will be appreciated not only by students. Much attention is paid to problems and to the development of mathematics before the end of the nineteenth century... This book brings to the non-specialist interested in mathematics many interesting results. It can be recommended for seminars and will be enjoyed by the broad mathematical community." (European Mathematical Society) "Since Stillwell treats many topics, most mathematicians will learn a lot from this book as well as they will find pleasant and rather clear expositions of custom materials. The book is accessible to students that have already experienced calculus, algebra and geometry and will give them a good account of how the different branches of mathematics interact." (Denis Bonheure, Bulletin of the Belgian Society)

Patterns of Empire comprehensively examines the two most powerful empires in modern history: the United States and Britain. Challenging the popular theory that the American empire is unique, Patterns of Empire shows how the policies, practices, forms and historical dynamics of the American empire repeat those of the British, leading up to the present climate of economic decline, treacherous intervention in the Middle East and overextended imperial confidence. A critical exercise in revisionist history and comparative social science, this book also offers a challenging theory of empire that recognizes the agency of non-Western peoples, the impact of global fields and the limits of imperial power.