Dan Jones's epic new history tells the story of how the world we know today came to be built。 It is a thousand-year adventure that moves from Rome， sacked by barbarians in AD 410， to the first contacts between the old and new worlds in the sixteenth century。 It shows how， from a state of crisis and collapse， the West was rebuilt and came to dominate the entire globe。 The book identifies three key themes that underpinned the success of the West: commerce， conquest and Christianity。

Across 16 chapters， blending Dan Jones' narrative shows how， at each stage in this story， successive western powers thrived by attracting – or stealing – the most valuable resources， ideas and people from the rest of the world。 It casts new light on iconic locations – Rome， Paris， Venice， Constantinople – and it features some of history's most famous and notorious men and women。