My students and I were enchanted by this book, right from the first moments we discovered it at a friends' house! At only $12, I think we've already got our money's worth and we've owned it less than a month. My only regret is that we didn't have it when we began our study of ancient times. 
 The hand drawn maps are the highlight. Not only do they show the geography, but they also feature interesting graphics that show farming methods, architectural triumphs, and technological achievements, and I don't know any other way to explain it but to say they are FUN. My early reader is eager to decipher their messages! Photographs are also interspersed. 
 A bonus is that the book is not limited to Western Civilization. Full page spreads of sparse text and wonderful illustration are presented on the following topics: 
 The First Towns 
 Mesopotamia 
 Ancient Egypt 
 Ancient Europe 
 The Indus Valley 
 Minoans and Myceneans 
 Peoples of the Mediterranean 
 The Great Empires 
 Ancient Greece 
 Roman Empire 
 Ancient Africa (which includes North Africa) 
 Ancient India 
 Ancient China 
 North American Peoples 
 Central and South America 
 Australia and Polynesia 
 The following full page spreads feature a more text heavy format. They are good, but what makes this book exceptional is really the pages in the previous category. 
 The Ancient World 
 The Ancient World: How we know about the past 
 Ancient Egypt: Preparing for the afterlife 
 - 1/2 page Map of a the Pyramids at Gaza 
 Ancient Greece: The Greek World 
 - Marches of Alexander the Great 1/3 page 
 The Roman Empire: City of Rome 
 - 1/4 page map of Rome 
 The one draw back is the timeline along the side of each map. I question many of the dates, but it is an opportunity to explain dating challenges, so even that can be redeemed! 
 Highly recommended. Thrilled to own it!