This 24 volume series is organized around historic eras but without additional limits concerning ethnicity, nationality, geographical location, gender or other specific factors are imposed. During its revision, the series editors deliberately expanded the number of women and individuals from beyond Western Europe and North America. The Great Lives Series now offers an excellent starting point for international biography. The entries do not presume significant prior knowledge of the subject and are geared toward offering foundational knowledge to an undergraduate audience. Nearly 3,800 important people from the Ancient World to the turn of the 21st century are included. Hundreds of illustrations, maps, photographs, and side bars provide an additional dimension. The entries range from three to five pages or 1,500 to 3,000 words, utilize a common format and offer annotated bibliographies. Each entry has a subheading for significance of the individual. While employing the standard A to Z format, each set has an outstanding indexes. There is, however, no series index. The 20th Century set does contain many living individuals. The series is divided in the sets listed to below.
Great Lives from History: World Prehistory – 476, 2 volumes
Great Lives from History: The Middle Ages 474 - 1453 2 volumes
Great Lives from History: The Renaissance & Early Modern Era, 1454 -1600, 2 volumes
Great Lives from History: The 17th Century, 2 volumes
Great Lives from History: The 18th Century, 2 volumes
Great Lives from History: The 19th Century, 4 volumes
Great Lives from History: The 20th Century, 10 volumes
