Jenkins (A Short History of England) takes on the daunting task of writing a history of Europe from Athens's Golden Age to today in little more than 300 pages. He accomplishes this by focusing primarily on political growth and international conflict and on the drivers of these events. The story that emerges is one of significant actions and leaders. Internal social conflicts are not ignored, but the emphasis throughout is more on the intentions and movements of the great players. Jenkins is on soundest footing when writing about modern times. His narrative of the 20th and early 21st centuries is informative, cogent, and persuasive. Along the way, there are a few false steps: to call the 1417 Council of Constance's embrace of conciliarism "a nod toward institutional democracy" imports modern language to a medieval context where it doesn't belong. In general, Jenkins's narrative of earlier times is neither as compelling nor convincing as his account of more recent history. Additionally, the bibliography could be improved.VERDICT As in any book of this nature, there are omissions, but Jenkins has done a yeoman's job at a difficult task: making a complex story understandable and interesting to the lay reader.—David Keymer, Cleveland