An introduction to a new way of looking at history, from a perspective that stretches from the beginning of time to the present day, "Maps of Time" is world history on an unprecedented scale. Beginning with the Big Bang, David Christian views the interaction of the natural world with the more recent arrivals in flora and fauna, including human beings. Cosmology, geology, archeology, and population and environmental studies - all figure in David Christian's account, which is an ambitious overview of the emerging field of 'Big History.' "Maps of Time" opens with the origins of the universe, the stars and the galaxies, the sun and the solar system, including the earth, and conducts readers through the evolution of the planet before human habitation. It surveys the development of human society from the Paleolithic era through the transition to agriculture, the emergence of cities and states, and the birth of the modern, industrial period right up to intimations of possible futures. Sweeping in scope, finely focused in its minute detail, this riveting account of the known world, from the inception of space-time to the prospects of global warming, lays the groundwork for world history - and 'Big History' - true as never before to its name.

大卫·克里斯蒂安（David Christian，1946—　），历史学家，“大历史”（Big History）学派创始人，国际大历史学会（International Big History Association）主席。主要著作有《时间地图: 大历史，130亿年前至今》（Maps of Time）、《极简人类史》（This Fleeting World）、《大历史：虚无与万物之间》（Big History，与辛西娅·布朗、克雷格·本杰明合著）等。

与传统世界史不同，克里斯蒂安倡导的“大历史”不再局限于民族、地区、国家的历史，而是将人类史视为宇宙历史的一个章节，重新定位人类在宇宙演化进程中的历史坐标。“大历史”深刻影响了大众读者对人类历史的认知。比尔·盖茨斥资千万美元，致力于在全球范围内推广“大历史教学项目”（Big History Project）。