Includes bibliographical references and index

Introduction, Linking passages, 1713 - 1799, Index Twilight of the Sun King, The south sea bubble, Ch'ien-lung becomes emperor of China, The war of the Austrian Succession, First performace of Handel's "Messiah", "Tom Jones" Revolutionizes Literature, an encyclopedia for the Enlightenment, Disaster strikes Lisbon, The year of victories, "Terra Incognita", The first partition of Poland, Watt constructs an efficient steam engine, The Decleration of Independence, "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite", The execution of Louis XVI, Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin, Napoleon Bonaparte becomes first consul

Includes material on Louis XIV, the South Sea Bubble, Ch'ien-lung, emperor of China, the War of the Austrian Succession, the first performance of Handel's Messiah, Henry Fielding and Tom Jones, Denis Diderot and his encyclopedia, the Lisbon earthquake, the French and Indian War, James Cook in the South Pacific, the first partition of Poland, James Watt and his steam engine, Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, the French Revolution, Eli Whitney and the cotton gin, and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.