A leader in the field presents a cohesive narrative of world history that effectively addresses the main challenge of the introductory survey: how to navigate beginning students through the vast detail of the subject. McNeill uses connective webs—along which trade, religious beliefs, technologies, pathogens and much more travelled—to organise details and keep the big picture in view. Students emerge with clear takeaways and a strong sense of the basic dynamics of world history. Together with digital resources that amplify the webs approach and highlight diverse types of evidence, John McNeill’s The Webs of Humankind offers a clear and effective teaching tool for the world history survey course.