This book is majestic in vision, and heft. It can understandably only give an overview of any particular period, but the goal is to trace the development of connections over thousands of years and this is entirely successful. Abulafia deliberately challenges the common euro-centric narrative.

In so far as I have any criticism, some of the chapters jump back and forth rather than flowing chronologically. The maps also don't work so well when the points of interest are squashed into the centre-fold of the pages where you can't see them.