Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present

When it was first published to rave reviews in 2007, *Big History* quickly became one of the foundational texts for a paradigm-shifting new movement: the understanding of world history from a radically expansive, interdisciplinary perspective. Praised as a “lucidly [written] vast historical mosaic” ( *Publishers Weekly* ), *Big History* interweaves disparate fields of knowledge—biology, geology, and anthropology—to offer an all-encompassing account of history on Earth. Brown’s narrative flows seamlessly from the birth of the universe to life on a planet inhabited by billions of people, a mind altering account of the fate of the Earth and of our role in this ongoing story. Since its publication, Brown’s book has been translated into nine languages and the “big history” concept has flourished: Bill Gates is funding the development of a related big history high school curriculum; an international scholarly organization has been formed to promote teaching and research in big history; and a TED talk by historian David Christian—who lauded Brown for drawing together “the stories of the universe, the earth, and humanity . . . with intelligence, simplicity, and great elegance”—has gone viral. This new edition of Brown’s seminal work is sure to find an even greater audience today, as we must increasingly grapple with accelerating rates of change and, ultimately, the legacy we will bequeath to future generations.