But this new edition is much more than an expansion of a classic; it reflects important recent changes in historical trends and historical thinking. In addition to showcasing traditional facts of national leadership and state power, the Encyclopedia embraces social and cultural developments, non-European history, women's history, religion, health, economics, technology, and other vital but less often reported aspects of the human drama. Here is a chronicle not only of major political events but of ordinary people, covering shifts in the relationships between men and women, developments in leisure, and demographic currents. And for all periods there are summaries of global developments that cannot be captured in national or regional frameworks. As editor Stearns notes in his preface, "The world we know historically has greatly changed. The revisions that animate this edition celebrate this change, benefiting from the labors of countless venturesome scholars over the past several decades." A masterwork whose roots date back to the nineteenth century, this exciting volume belongs at the elbow of every history lover and of anyone who has ever been curious about our constantly changing, remarkably diverse human story.