The Transformation of the World: A Global History of the Nineteenth Century (America in the World)

Incredibly rich, even to the point of denseness. Lays out data and fact, country by country, continent by continent, but doesn’t always weave a story, often deliberately leaving interpretation to the reader. There’s no unifying narrative, no simple explanations: the raw complexity of the 19th century is laid bare and examined, meticulously, from almost every angle.