I am rather embarrassed of how little I know about the history of the world and early civilizations. I am looking to inform myself about this preferably with a book that has maps and pictures that help communicate the information. Does anyone have any suggestions of where to start? I apologize if this is a frequently asked question. I would love any suggestions.
Have a look in the AH book section under general, lots of good stuff there.
Also try Audible 'the great courses' series - lectures on a variety of subjects by world renowned professors. The one on 'the industrial revolution' is outstanding I also loved 'big history' and the lecture series on US and medieval history have been excellent. I prefer the lecture style as they generally introduce, discuss and sum up an aspect of the topic in each half hour lecture.