Civilization: The West and the Rest

From the bestselling author of The Ascent of Money and The Square and the Tower

“A dazzling history of Western ideas.” —The Economist

“Mr. Ferguson tells his story with characteristic verve and an eye for the felicitous phrase.” —Wall Street Journal

“[W]ritten with vitality and verve . . . a tour de force.” —Boston Globe

Western civilization’s rise to global dominance is the single most important historical phenomenon of the past five centuries.

How did the West overtake its Eastern rivals? And ...