Reading the World invites students to explore connections across history and culture through 73 readings--14 of which are visual texts--organized around enduring themes such as art and beauty, law and government, language and rhetoric, and more. With a stronger balance than ever between Western and global, classic and contemporary, and longer and shorter texts, the Fifth Edition contextualizes topics such as today's artificial intelligence alongside the first use of "robot" in literature and ancient automaton stories. Expanded resources, scaffolded readings, and 100 pages of substantial, flexible writing advice prepare students to understand and discuss great ideas.