Back in my youth, the family wanted us kids to be well educated. Part of this was accomplished by getting a couple of those sets of books covering certain topics for the average intelligent reader. Yes, we did have an encyclopedia (Collier’s) as well as a general “encyclopedia” for children (The Book of Knowledge (1952 edition)). The one I most vividly remembered was a six volume set from Newsweek called Milestones of History.
Published in 1970, the set contained a neat one hundred essays in total – from “The Gift of the Nile” (the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt) to “Man on the Moon (duh) written by prominent historians of the time. Lavishly illustrated, the milestones covered not just military and political matters, but scientific and cultural milestones as well. Connecting essays between the main chapters filled in the time between the “milestones”. A diligent selection and editing process allowed for the occasional combination of milestones. For example, to discuss the Protestant Reformation, they didn’t just write about Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses – they instead chose his publication of a German New Testament, which allowed them to include the development and spread of printing as well.
Pure Blather 