The March of the Millennia: A Key to Looking at History

"The March of the Millennia" is a nice brief sketch of world history made into more than merely a chronicle by Asimov's considerable narrative skill. Asimov writes clearly and simply of people and events in a mostly factual and descriptive way, but adds occasional interpretive remarks that often emphasize the great impact of technological innovations on the development of civilization. As its title suggests the book is organized into 1,000 year progressions, with seperate sections devoted to each millennial period from 8,000 B.C. to 2,000 A.D., preceded by a short chapter on human antecedents and capped by a lengthier one on how civilization might unfold in the next 1,000 years given current problems and technological possibilities. Asimov's techno-oriented mindset has always rendered both his historical and futuristic judgements somewhat superficial to me, but given its obviously modest and limited intent "The March of the Millennia" is still a lucid and coherent treatment. I recommend it.