Since this is a British import, the modern world begins with 1066, the year of the Norman conquest. The book's scope, however, tries to be worldwide, with each part of history covered in blocks with about 10 facts given, along with a drawing or photograph.

The approach is supposed to let readers see what was happening throughout the world at roughly the same time. However, Abraham Lincoln and the Russian Revolution are featured next to one another, even though Lincoln died more than 50 years before the Russian Revolution. Also, much more information is presented about the Western world (particularly British) than the Eastern.