希利尔（V.M.Hillyer），美国杰出教育家，毕生从事中小学教育，酷爱历史和艺术，喜欢旅行。出生于马萨诸塞州韦茅斯。哈佛大学本科毕业后，在纽约的布朗宁学校教了两年书，随后迁往巴尔的摩，成为卡尔沃特学校的D一任校长。希利尔创建的小学函授教育体系，即“卡尔沃特学校体系”，惠及世界各地的政府雇员、领事、军官和传教士的子女。当维吉尔希利尔校长于1899年到卡尔沃特学校走马上任时，他还是一个年仅二十四岁的毛头小伙儿。然而，他有着一颗教师的心——一种天生的异能，了解孩子们需要什么，知道如何讲孩子才能听明白，以及孩子成长的规律是什么。希利尔认为，孩子们写作、阅读和数学的基础必须夯实。在此基础上，他认为学生应当接受历史、艺术、地理和科学的系统教育，意在培育熟稔周遭世界各个方面的全面型学生。希利尔痛感传统教科书的枯燥无味，立志为孩子编写一套读起来兴味盎然的历史、地理和艺术读物，这便是《希利尔讲世界史》、《希利尔讲世界地理》、《希利尔讲艺术史》。欧阳瑾，男，1972年生于湖南，毕业于北京语言大学对外汉语专业，热爱并多年从事翻译工作，已单独翻译或者与人合译了多部作品，出版了《重压下的优雅——海明威中短篇小说精选》(湖南文艺出版社，2012年)、《正向思考力》(人民邮电出版社，2014年)、《海权论》(中国言实出版社，2015年)、《强势》(江苏文艺出版社，2014)等译著。

给孩子看的历史读物，多是不成系统的历史故事，要么就是历史事件缩写。希利尔首创编年史的讲述方式：他兼顾历史事件和历史人物，行文中渗透历史年代的概念，让孩子们了解时代全貌、认识历史全景。书中所倡导时间楼梯、人名重复、随文发问等方式，皆别开生面，有助于孩子对历史的有效认知和思考。希利尔的讲述新颖有趣，令人有身临其境之感。读过此书，孩子们心中便有了一幅历史地图，一架时间楼梯，站在此刻，回顾漫长岁月中曾经有过的人和故事，他们会对世界历史有一个切近明晰的了解。

维吉尔M.希利尔，这位卡尔弗特学校的校长，他开发小学教育体系，为他赢得了世界性的声誉。
——《纽约时报》

抛开科学不论，历史、地理和艺术其实是孩子一生学识的基石：历史是时间的纵深，地理是空间上的广阔，艺术则是孩子心灵的寄托。
——维吉尔M.希利尔

孩子们每次求着我给他们讲书里的历史故事。我再也不用拿绳子绑着他们听课啦！
——网站读者说

Once upon a time there was a boy —
Just like me.
He had to stay in bed in the morning until seven o’clock until his father and mother were ready to get up;
So did I.
As he was always awake long before this time, he used to lie there and think about all sorts of curious things;
So did I.
One thing he used to wonder was this:
What would the world be like if there were —
No fathers and mothers,
No uncles and aunts,
No cousins or other children to play with,
Perhaps you have wondered the same thing;
So did I.
At last he used to get so lonely, just from thinking how dreadful such a world would be, that he could stand it no longer and would run to his parents’ room and jump into bed by their side just to get this terrible thought out of his mind;
So did I — for .
Well, there was a time long, long, long ago when there were no men or women or children, of any kind in the whole world. Of course there were no houses, for there was no one to build them or to live in them, no towns or cities — nothing that people make. There were just animals — mastodons and dinosaurs, birds and butterflies, frogs and snakes, turtles and fish. Can you think of such a world as that?
Then,
long, long, long
before that, there was a time when there were and of any sort in the whole world; there were just growing plants. Can you think of such a world as that?
Then,
……

PREFACE／引　言 1
INTRODUCTION／导　言 2
1 How Things Started／万物起源 10
2 People Who Lived in Caves／生活在洞穴里的人 15
3 Fire! Fire!! Fire!!!／火!火!!火!!! 20
4 From an Airplane／从飞机上向下看 24
5 Real History Begins／真正的历史由此开始 28
6 The Puzzle Writers in Egypt／埃及谜语 33
7 The Tomb Builders／修建坟墓的人 38
8 A Rich Land Where There Was No Money／没有钱的富庶之地 43
9 The Jews Search for a Home／犹太人寻找家园 48
10 Fairy-Tale Gods／神话传说中的神灵 53
11 A Fairy-Tale War／一场传说中的战争 59
12 The Kings of the Jews／犹太诸王 63
13 The People Who Made Our A B C’s／发明文字的人 67
14 Hard as Nails／铁石心肠 71
15 The Crown of Leaves／桂冠 76
16 A Bad Beginning／邪恶的开端 80
17 Kings with Corkscrew Curls／一头卷发的国王 84
18 A City of Wonders and Wickedness／奇迹和邪恶并存的城市 87
19 A Surprise Party／宴会奇袭 90
20 The Other Side of the World: India／世界的另一边：印度 94
21 All the Way Around the World in China／概说中国 97
22 Rich Man, Poor Man／富人、穷人 100
23 Rome Kicks Out Her Kings／罗马废除国王 104
24 Greece vs. Persia／希腊对波斯 108
25 Fighting Mad／战争狂人 114
26 One Against a Thousand／以一敌千 118
27 The Golden Age／黄金时代 123
28 When Greek Meets Greek／当希腊人遇上希腊人 129
29 Wise Men and Otherwise／智者与庸人 133
30 A Boy King／少年国王 138
31 Picking a Fight／挑起争端 143
32 The Boot Kicks and Stamps／“靴子”左右出击 147
33 The New Champion of the World／新的世界霸主 150
34 The Noblest Roman of Them All／最高贵的罗马人 156
35 An Emperor Who Was Made a God／被奉为神灵的皇帝 162
36 “Thine Is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory”／“国度、权柄和
　　荣耀，全是你的” 167
37 Blood and Thunder／鲜血与雷霆 172
38 A Good Emperor and a Bad Son／好皇帝，坏儿子 178
39 I_H_ _S_ _ _ _ V_ _ _ _ _／I_H__S____V_____ 182
40 Barbarian Invaders／野蛮的侵略者 186
41 Barbarians Meet the Champions of the World／野蛮人碰上了世界霸主 191
42 New Places — New Heroes／新的地方，新的英雄 196
43 Being Good／为善 199
44 A Christian Kingdom in Africa／非洲的基督教王国 204
45 Muhammad and the Early Years of Islam／穆罕默德和早期的伊斯兰教 208
46 Arabian Days／阿拉伯时代 214
47 Two Empires, Two Emperors／两个帝国，两位皇帝 219
48 Getting a Start／刚刚起步 224
49 The End of the World／世界末日 228
50 Real Castles／真正的城堡 231
51 Knights and Days of Chivalry／骑士和骑士时代 236
52 A Pirate’s Great Grandson／了不起的海盗后裔 241
53 A Great Adventure／一场伟大的探险 247
54 Tick-Tack-Toe; Three Kings in a Row／井字过三关；连续三王 251
55 Three Kingdoms in West Africa／西非三王国 257
56 Bibles Made of Stone and Glass／石头与玻璃制成的《圣经》 262
57 John, Whom Nobody Loved／没人喜欢的约翰 267
58 A Great Story Teller／了不起的故事先生 271
59 “Thing-a-ma-jigger” and “What-cher-may-call-it”or a Magic Needle and a
　　Magic Powder／“小小装置”和“无名之物”，或者魔针和魔粉 275
60 Thelon Gest Wart Hate Verwas／史上最久的战争 278
61 Print and Powder or Off with the Old, On with the New／印刷术和火药——
　　弃旧迎新 283
62 A Sailor Who Found a New World／发现新大陆的水手 286
63 Fortune Hunters／淘金的人 293
64 The Land of Enchantment or the Search for Gold and Adventure／魅力之地：
　　寻宝与冒险 300
65 Along the Coast of East Africa／东非沿海 304
66 Rebirth／重生 310
67 Christians Quarrel／基督徒反目 315
68 Queen Elizabeth／伊丽莎白女王 320
69 The Age of Elizabeth／伊丽莎白时代 325
70 James the Servant or What’s in a Name?／公仆詹姆斯 329
71 A King Who Lost His Head／掉了脑袋的国王 334
72 Red Cap and Red Heels／红帽子、红鞋跟 338
73 A Self-Made Man／白手起家的人 343
74 A Prince Who Ran Away／离家出走的王子 347
75 America Gets Rid of Her King／美国摆脱了国王 351
76 ／天翻地覆 357
77 A Little Giant／小个子巨人 363
78 Latin America and the Caribbean Islands／拉丁美洲和加勒比群岛 369
79 From Pan and His Pipes to the Phonograph／从潘及其排笛到留声机 378
80 The Daily Papers of 1854—1865／1854—1865年间的日报 384
81 Three New Postage Stamps／三枚新邮票 389
82 The Age of Miracles／奇迹时代 393
83 A Different Kind of Revolution／另类革命 398
84 A World at War／战火蔓延的世界 404
85 A Short Twenty Years／二十年，弹指一挥间 408
86 Modern Barbarians／现代“蛮子” 415
87 Fighting the Dictators／对抗独裁者 421
88 A New Spirit in the World／全球新精神 427
89 A New BIG POWER in the World／一个新的世界大国 432
90 Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow／昨天、今天和明天 437