He wrote a trilogy of books about the history of mankind - everything that got us to where we are now (at least the 1990's when this book was published). They read a bit like a textbook, but he tells the history in a way that makes it a page turner. Migrations and Cultures shows how and why cultures developed in different parts of the world and how and why some cultures spread while others stayed contained in one area. He gets into geography, language, interactions between cultures, the rise of nations ... I read it as an adventure story because he does such a good job of making the "journey" so interesting.