Suggestions for history books
I'm trying to figure out what to get my dad for his birthday this year... this is the first year I'm really mostly on my own now that I'm out of college and I can actually afford a decent gift. You all are very intelligent and I figure there's a decent chance some of you might help be able to give me some advice.
My dad has developed a bit of interest in sort of comparative world history/civilizations, particularly in reference to China, but he's never had formal education in this area. I'm trying to find him a DVD set (preferably) or books (he reads fairly slowly so a DVD would be better) along these lines. Either something that's a sort of overview of the major ancient civilizations or an overview of ancient Chinese history. The best option (that probably does not exist) would be a DVD/book set that goes through ancient Chinese history and compares that to what was happening around the world in other civilizations. My parents took us to lots of museums when we were younger, so he knows a little about Mesopotamia, ancient India/Indus Valley, etc., but he has said he'd like to know about where those civilizations lay in time relative to what he knows about ancient China.
I looked on PBS, NatGeo, and the History Channel websites but couldn't find any suitable DVDs or books. The best I can find is the Guns, Germs, and Steel DVD set. Anyone have some suggestions? Thanks!
Edit: So, I did find something that would have been perfect: the BBC's Civilization documentary series from 1969... but it only covers the history of the Western world.
My dad has developed a bit of interest in sort of comparative world history/civilizations, particularly in reference to China, but he's never had formal education in this area. I'm trying to find him a DVD set (preferably) or books (he reads fairly slowly so a DVD would be better) along these lines. Either something that's a sort of overview of the major ancient civilizations or an overview of ancient Chinese history. The best option (that probably does not exist) would be a DVD/book set that goes through ancient Chinese history and compares that to what was happening around the world in other civilizations. My parents took us to lots of museums when we were younger, so he knows a little about Mesopotamia, ancient India/Indus Valley, etc., but he has said he'd like to know about where those civilizations lay in time relative to what he knows about ancient China.
I looked on PBS, NatGeo, and the History Channel websites but couldn't find any suitable DVDs or books. The best I can find is the Guns, Germs, and Steel DVD set. Anyone have some suggestions? Thanks!
Edit: So, I did find something that would have been perfect: the BBC's Civilization documentary series from 1969... but it only covers the history of the Western world.