Reddit reviews A Short History of the World

That great river of books that sucks away my money says I should have a used hardback edition in about 10 days. I would not look for a book report for, oh, maybe 6 months or so. I'll repay the "favor" this way. A Short History of the World is perhaps bordering on fluff compared to what you recommended, but it is an overview that may lead to other research. Perhaps more interesting to me are a couple of offbeat ones by Tom Standage: A History of the World in 6 Glasses, and An Edible History of Humanity. They sorta slip interesting historical factoids into your brain without it seeming like your having to work at learning history.

A Short History of the World by J. M. Roberts. Praised by The Economist, some Christian association, NY Times, etc. Boring in parts (it's tough to get excited about Sumerian civilization) but overall very good explanation of human history.

http://www.amazon.com/Short-History-World-John-Roberts/dp/019511504X/ref=pd_cp_b_1

I remember reading J.M. Roberts' A Short History of the World a dozen or so years ago. It was awesome because it really did keep it simple and you never felt like it bogged down anywhere - which must be an incredible task given the breadth of subject.

I would consider it a good primer or first read of world history. You can always find something more detailed or specific further down the road.