In the annals of design histories, one new book is perhaps the most exhaustive effort yet undertaken. The World History of Design (Bloomsbury), divided into three volumes, begins with the pre-hominids and ends—at least, the second volume, available April 23, does—with World War II. Its author, Victor Margolin, the professor emeritus of design history at the University of Illinois, Chicago, has intersected the design disciplines to map a unique history from a number of international events and disparate personae.