For today's busy student, we've created a new line of highly portable books at affordable prices. Each title in the Books a la Carte Plus program features the exact same content from our traditional textbook in a convenient notebook-ready, loose-leaf version - allowing students to take only what they need to class. As an added bonus, each Books a la Carte Plus edition is accompanied by an access code to all of the resources found in one of our best-selling multimedia products. Best of all? Our Books a la Carte Plus titles cost less than a used textbook! "Civilizations Past and Present," written by specialists in Islamic, African, Asian, Ancient, and East European history- offers a clear and accessible analysis of diverse trends shaping world history. "Civilizations Past and Present," now in its Twelfth Edition, is a survey text well known for its readability, offering a strong narrative exploration of world history. The book's narrative-enriched by photographs, maps, primary source documents, timelines, and other pedagogical aids-places great emphasis on the connections between the world's many cultures and regions. The book uses intriguing avenues of historical interpretation and examines all of the major areas of historical study: social, political, economic, religious, cultural, and geographic.