Peter Watson's hugely ambitious and stimulating history of ideas from deep antiquity to the present day—from the invention of writing, mathematics, science, and philosophy to the rise of such concepts as the law, sacrifice, democracy, and the soul—offers an illuminated path to a greater understanding of our world and ourselves.

Peter Watson has been a senioreditor at the London Sunday Times, a New York correspondentof the London Times, a columnist for theLondon Observer, and a contributor to the New YorkTimes. He has published three exposés on the world ofart and antiquities, and is the author of several booksof cultural and intellectual history. From 1997 to 2007he was a research associate at the McDonald Institutefor Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge.He lives in London.

“This is a grand book...The history of ideas deserves treatment on this scale.” — Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Evening Standard (London)

“A superior specimen, with numerous interesting factoids...thought-provoking short essays.” — John Derbyshire, New York Sun

“A masterpiece of historical writing.” — John Gray, Professor of European Thought, London School of Economics, New Statesman

“[An] extraordinary new book....This is the history of ‘ideas’ as it has never been presented before.” — Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph (London)