Meticulously researched and very enjoyable to read, this book focuses on the economic, political, moral, ideas, and artistic aspects of cultures and civilizations and is less concerned of dates and war. Since it covers such a broad range it serves mostly as a survey to give a sense of the scale of history, and provide a entry point to learn more. The Durants are great story tellers, and their occasional comments are sometimes hilarious and sometimes quite deep. While many of the ideas are dated, they constantly check their perspectives disclaim their terms, and if you keep in mind that this was written in 1935, I think its quite ahead of its time.