Sums up the state of the world in one effective if not too blunt statement by saying, "England and France had been at war for...well, it seemed like forever" ( page .1). This quote alone sets the tone for what is to follow. The author consistently reinforces the idea that England and France are at odds in this first chapter. Fearing that this “feud” he describes might lead the reader to believe that the conflict is centralized at a regional level, he goes further to say that “England and France have always been on opposite sides just as they certainly were across the Channel . By the mid-18th century, however, this cross-Channel feud began to take on global dimensions, as it became apparent that much more than mere European domination was at stake” (p.1). This main point of the book is a necessary trend that will continue to be seen. The very ebbs and flows of the world at that time were simply determined by the attitudes of certain European nations and their general desires. The author goes on to set the stage for the numerous altercations that would ensue. It sets the main scene in North America with a supporting cast from Europe and the Caribbean, so to speak. Borneman not only sets the stage from the beginning, but goes to great lengths to describe the very nature of the unstable world during the onset of the French and Indian War. Him