One of the required texts when I studied Church History at McMaster Divinity College was A History of the Christian Church by Williston Walker. I read it back then and just reread it recently.
I would say it that it is a pretty good introduction to Christian history. It definitely has its limitations though. One is that it is dated. The edition that I have only goes to the 1970s. Having said that, most of us read history for events much farther back than that.
The other problem is that it never gets very deep into any particular event. This is because of the natural limitations of being a one volume treatment of church history. If you are going to look at twenty centuries of history in one volume, you are limited at what you can say.
In this book, you will get the basics of the early church, the opes, the Reformation and so on.
Having said that, it is a very readable and accessible history. It is a good introduction to church history for those with little background. It provides the big picture and can be a good jumping off point for further study.
If you are looking for a nice one volume church history, A History of the Christian Church is a good place to start.
