The title of this review sums it all. This book only benefits from a catchy title that gets the attention of people looking for a good book to get a flavor of the world history. You buy it and every few months you give it a stab and you finally leave it on the shelf for good thinking the world history is a tough subject to get into.The biggest problem is that it is very boring and difficult to read. No pictures, maps or timelines, all text, tight font, arcane British English and worst of all it moves from one topic to another randomly.How much does this book say about the greatest empire of the ancient world, the Persian Empire? Very little.I m looking at A History of World Societies by McKay, it has errors and has some issues but it is laid out beautifully, reads fluidly with great maps and timelines and is a page turner. Makes you love history.