World History : A Global Survey of Cultures, States, Trade, Religions, and Exchange Before 1500

World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500 offers a capacious account of the human past from early societies through the major political, religious, and cultural formations of the premodern world. Its chapters move across regions and scales, pairing broad historical synthesis with attention to exchange, migration, belief, governance, technology, and social hierarchy. Rather than treating civilizations as isolated units, the volume foregrounds the connections—and tensions—that shaped Afro-Eurasian, American, and other world histories before 1500. Prepared by Eugene Berger, George Israel, Charlotte Miller, Brian Parkinson, Andrew Reeves, and Nadejda Williams, the book brings a collaborative scholarly perspective to the challenges of global historical narration. Their collective approach aligns with world-history scholarship that questions Eurocentric periodization and emphasizes comparative study, transregional networks, and the agency of diverse communities. The contributors' varied emphases allow states, cultures, and societies to appear not as static categories but as historically contingent and mutually influential formations. This volume is especially valuable for students and general readers seeking a rigorous introduction to premodern global history. It invites readers to compare distinct social worlds while recognizing the processes that linked them. Rich in interpretive breadth, it fosters productive dialogue between regional histories and offers an educational foundation for understanding later global developments.