The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History with Internet links is a comprehensive introduction to world history, covering prehistoric times, Ancient civilizations through to the early 21st century. 
I have used this book as a reference book in our home for many years. We would read the first few pages of our time era or civilization to get a general feel for our studies. We would then add lapbooks and other good books to add depth and richness to our studies – not forgetting to timeline of course ;o) 
It would be an excellent ‘spine’ for your history studies. What I love about this book is that it is filled with eye-catching illustrations, maps and photographs which engage the child beautifully. There are many internet links throughout the book which invite the child to explore and learn more about a historical event or time period, as well as links to free downloadable maps and pictures. These internet links would have taken me ages to source, this book has done it all for you. 
Personally, what I do not like about this book is that it has been written from a secular point of view. The first few chapters of the book cover the ‘Old World’ theory of earth being millions of years old, as well as the Big Bang Theory and Evolution. In light of this teaching – which I personally do not agree with, we have not used the first few chapters of the book. However, I would not let this put you off adding this book to your bookshelves. There really is enough excellent material in this book to make it a useful addition to your learning.
This book would get a 4 * rating from me – loosing one star for the first few chapters.
You can purchase this book from Amazon.
Shirley blogs at ‘ Under An English Sky’ where she shares about their seasonal living, faith-filled, Charlotte Mason inspired home schooling days.
Shirley Ann lives in the UK with her husband, two daughters, and two cats who think they rule the roost. She's a veteran homeschooler of 13 years and is passionate about home keeping, homeschooling, nature study, and seasonal living, Shirley regularly blogs about her Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschooling and British lifestyle on her blog, 'Building A Household of Faith'.
Thanks for the review! I was curious how this compared with the DK Publishing History of the World book, and it looks very similar. We used the DK Publishing book last year for the spine in our medieval history course, per The Well Trained Mind. Looks like the two are nearly interchangeable.
I studied In Russia and antagonism is barbarian world vs Christian world bothers me a lot at least for the reason that’s I know meaning of word barbarian and where Hellenic culture end up because of this. I would rather study science of Egyptians, Chinese, Shumer that is way advanced than middle age England. Can you advice on resources that would represent more fair secular vision?
Hi Maria,
I’m afraid I’m unable to help you with your enquiry as I haven’t really used any secular resources.
This IS a fantastic resource! I can’t home school without it. The internet links make this a unique item on the market that make it worth every penny and more. I would like to say that if you have a local Usborne Books & More consultant, they would appreciate your business. This publisher is no longer selling through Amazon so you will probably get the same price and support a local business and possibly another home school family by finding one. If you don’t have a consultant, I *might* know one.