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Will Durant's book Heroes of History. The title is somewhat misleading, as each chapter is about one era, not one major figure from that era. In a chapter on Athenian Greece, for instance, he talks about a variety of artists, philosophers and politicians, rather than focussing on just Socrates, or just Pericles. However, if you're looking to get a quick introduction that mentions the major figures of a period, this will do nicely; Durant can sketch the character of a Medici or Sulla in a few paragraphs sufficiently to make you want to look up more on your own. It's a breezy overview of western history, written by a 90 year old scholar who obviously found his field delightful.