Beginning with prehistory and the early civilizations of the Aegean, this title traces the development of European identity in its many guises, through the age of Christendom, the Middle Ages, early Modern history and the old European order.

Book 1 Heritages; Bedrock; Ancient Greece; the making of the Roman world; Imperial Rome and world history. Part 2 Christendom: re-definition; the reshaping of the West; Medieval societies; frontiers and neighbours; the civilization of the Middle Ages; new prospects in the East. Book 3 The launching of modern history 1500-1800: a new age; society and belief; the political organizations of Western Europe; the Ancient regime; the world's new shape. Book 4 The European age: new politics; the world's new rich; a new sort of civilization; a new European order; world hegemony; international order and disorder. Book 5 Europe's 20th century - the era of the European civil war: pressures and strains; the breakdowns of international order; European revolution; crumbling foundations; the last years of the European illusion. Book 6 Europe in the Cold War and after: Europe in the aftermath of war; Europe and global Cold War; the end of the European post-war order; the end of the European post-war order; a new order in the making?