The Book of Nations Geographical, Historical, Descriptive

EXTINCT NATIONS OF THE PAST

CHIEF HISTORICAL PEOPLES: Egyptians—Babylonians—Assyrians—Hebrews—Phœnicians—Medes and Persians—Hindus—Greeks—Romans

PROGRESS OF HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY AND DISCOVERY, B.C. 3800 TO THE PRESENT, WITH 16 MAPS

THE WORLD’S GREATEST EXPLORERS, B.C. 1400 TO 1917 A.D.

COMPARATIVE OUTLINE HISTORY OF ANCIENT NATIONS, B.C. 5000 TO 843 A.D.

DESCRIPTIVE GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT:

• The Spell of Egypt: Ancient and Modern
• The Babylonian-Assyrian Empires
• The Hebrews and the Holy Land
• The Phœnicians: First Nation of Colonizers
• The Medo-Persian Empire
• The Greeks: Glory of the Ancient World
• Rome: Mistress of the World
• The Saracen Empire: Its Fanaticism, Art and Learning
• The Germanic Empire of Charlemagne

LIVING NATIONS OF TO-DAY

COMPARATIVE OUTLINE HISTORY OF MODERN NATIONS

TRANSITION PERIOD FROM THE ANCIENT TO THE MODERN

GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE GREAT POWERS: Great Britain—France—Germany—Italy—Austria-Hungary—Russia—United States—Japan

THE LESSER MODERN NATIONS: In Europe, Spain and Portugal—Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark)—The Netherlands—Switzerland—The Balkan States (Bulgaria, Roumania, Turkey, Greece, Servia); In Asia, China, Persia, Turkey; In America, Brazil—Argentina—Chile—Mexico—Canada

DICTIONARY OF HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT, including Great Wars, Great Battles, Dynasties, Rulers, Historic and Literary Shrines, Allusions, etc.

HISTORICAL CHARTS AND TABLES, MAPS AND PLANS

HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE WORLD
Showing its Territorial Growth Due to Successive Discoveries

The Known World about 3800 B. C.

Large map (339 kB)

Mycenean Greece and the Orient about 1450 B. C.

Large maps (488 kB)

THE BOOK OF NATIONS

We shall perhaps gain the best idea of the gradual expansion of the world to-day if we go back to the earliest times of which we have any definite historical records, and from that as a starting point, picture to ourselves the world at important epochs as it was divided among the more civilized nations. In spite of revolutions and the rise and fall of nations, the course of history has been continuous. The periods of history are not separated by gaps or breaks, but really merge gradually one into another. Bearing this in mind, the general history of the world may be viewed in two great divisions—ancient and modern. Ancient history begins with the dawn of civilization, and traces the progress of mankind among those nations which have now ceased to exist—or at least have ceased to contribute anything to the world’s progress. Modern history, on the other hand, deals with the origin and growth of those nations which still exist and are working out the problems and ideals peculiar to their own national life.