Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Discoveries in geography; History / World; History / Expeditions ... Read more

Product Description
The Silk Road was the contemporary name for a complex of ancient trade routes linking East Asia with Central Asia, South Asia, and the Mediterranean world.This network of exchange emerged along the borders between agricultural China and the steppe nomads during the Han Dynasty (206BCE-220CE), in consequence of the inter-dependence and the conflicts of these two distinctive societies.In their quest for horses, fragrances, spices, gems, glassware, and other exotics from the lands to their west, the Han Empire extended its dominion over the oases around the Takla Makan Desert and sent silk all the way to the Mediterranean, either through the land routes leading to the caravan city of Palmyra in Syria desert, or by way of northwest India, the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea, landing at Alexandria. The Silk Road survived the turmoil of the demise of the Han and Roman Empires, reached its golden age during the early middle age, when the Byzantine Empire and the Tang Empire became centers of silk culture and established the models for high culture of the Eurasian world. The coming of Islam extended silk culture to an even larger area and paved the way for an expanded market for textiles and other commodities. By the 11th century, however, the Silk Road was in decline because of intense competition from the sea routes of the Indian Ocean.

Using supply and demand as the framework for analyzing the formation and development of the Silk Road, the book examines the dynamics of the interactions of the nomadic pastoralists with sedentary agriculturalists, and the spread of new ideas, religions, and values into the world of commerce, thus illustrating the cultural forces underlying material transactions. This effort at tracing the interconnections of the diverse participants in the transcontinental Silk Road exchange will demonstrate that the world had been linked through economic and ideological forces long before the modern era. ... Read more

Product Description
Global in scope, William McNeill's widely acclaimed one-volume history emphasizes the four Old World civilizations of the Middle East, India, China, and Europe, paying particular attention to their interaction across time as well as the impact on historical scholarship in light of the most recent archaeological discoveries. The engaging and informative narrative touches on all aspects of civilization, including geography, communication, and technological and artisitc developmetns, and provides extensive coverage of the modern era.

This new edition includes a thorought updated bibliographic essay and a new discussion of the most significant events in world history and civilization since 1976. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An excellent, well-written single volume world history.
McNeil is an old-fashioned narrative historian whose most famous book is Rise of the West.This book adopts a similar broad approach to world history.It makes an excellent gift for college students and young adult who want to lay a base for historical understanding.

A Very Readable Survey
I've been trying to read a survey of World History for years, but found most of the commonly available titles too dry and slow to get trough.McNeill did an admirable job of combining the history of eastern and western civilizations chronologically, and I can say that it's a great place to start if you're looking for an overview.Of course, it's light on many subjects as is necessary due to its size, and yes it's somewhat dated.However, I don't think you'll find a more readable survey.

Not bad as a starter.
Organization of the book is good especially on the flow of history. However, many things are not clearly explained and kind of skip over it. For important events too shallow, not much detailed, but did cover lots of stuff so people can later google or wikipedia on the info or read others books. In short a good starter book.

A Waste of Money
Jumps all over the place. Author is condescending to readers. What a waste! ... Read more

Product Description
Why CliffsAP Guides?

Go with the name you know and trust

Get the information you need--fast!

Written by test prep specialists

About the contents:

Introduction
* Test-taking tips and strategies
* Overview of the test and scoring, with information on multiple-choice questions, the document-based question, the change-over-time essay, and the comparative essay


Part I: Subject Review
* Review of the 5 historical periods covered on the test
* Sample multiple-choice questions with answers and explanations


Part II: AP World History Practice Tests
* 3 full-length practice tests with answers and explanations


*AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

AP Test Prep Essentials from the Experts at CliffsNotes?

An American BookWorks Corporation Project

Contributors: Todd Carney, PhD; Charles A. Desnoyers, PhD; Philip C. DiMare, PhD; James Godwin, PhD; Shawndra Holderby, Phd; Kathryn Jasper, MA; David Meier, PhD; Judith-Rae Ross, PhD; and Ryan Wilkinson, BA

More than Notes!

CliffsAP? CliffsComplete? CliffsQuickReview? CliffsTestPrep? CliffsStudySolver ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Steal oops I mean burn this book - to steal a few words from Jerry Rubin
As an AP teacher, I often pick up the various study guides in order to recommend some of the better selections.This is not one of my recommendations by any stretch of the imagination!For one, the format is nothing like the AP Exam.The questions are erratic and disjointed.Above all though this book has been written by perhaps the most extremist agenda driven profs that I have yet to see.Their opinions may be good fodder for a Berkeley class of unfortunates, but the material will possibly not allow you to pass the AP honestly! The material up to 1850 is not bad, but after that it degenerates into incredibly leftist propaganda, esp in view of its consistent romanticism of the Communist movement via the romantification for Guevara Castro Marx and Mao.The most glaring error being a matrix of all the genocides of the 20th century on page 222, but on this page not one mention of Stalin and Mao purges (perhaps 70 million between these two happy-go-lucky funny guys). On 222 the largest one was called a 3.3 mil democide in the Congo.No where in the latter text is to be found anything beyond leftist propaganda for the 1900-2006 era. In fact you will very seldon see the work communism but instead socialism used 90% of the time when discussing centrally controlled totalitarian systems of Marxist states.Also a large portion is dedicated to the glorification of Mao over extensive disparaging of Chiang Kai Shek.On the section of post 9-11 it makes numerous references of how the US is exponentiaaly more terroristic than those regimes it pursues.Please take this book with a grain (large grain) of salt for the post 1850 period. The leftist agenda leaves out large portions of what you will need to know for your AP exam. Take it from one who has seen numerous AP exams.Steer clear of "Cliff`s Little Red Book"

not at all formatted for the AP world test!
Last year I decided to be a good history student and get all my facts straight for the exam. I read many reviews and completed all the practice tests and essays.After exhausting Barrons, Princeton, and Kaplan..all of which were helpful in one way or another my mom bought me this book.
I opened it up, eager for a little more practice.Being already familiar with the AP format, I quickly realized this book was way off base.Sure it talks about world history, but not in the same focus or emohasis as the ap test.Furthermore the multiple choice questions are weird and ridiculous. This book really will not help you at all.After reading the first chapter and some practice questions i was fed up and returned the book.Instead of wasting my time with this Cliffs, I reread prince/barrons/kaplan.....much better books.

Great tool for the CSET Social Science subtest 1
Because there is not a good resource specifically for the CSET single subject, I used this book as my main study source. It will still take a great deal of time to read through and retain all the information, but it's the history of the world -- what do you expect? It is not too brief and yet not too windy. The porridge is just right.

this book was a disappointment
this book did not help me i am a very smart ap world student and this book was a disappointment, i was soooo sad, cuz this book was so crappy, the only thing i recognized was the reneissance. i can not tell you how disappointed i was. the test talked about mongols, mongold what are mongols i found myself asking, i dont remember mongols, there are mongols on this test??? THIS WASNT IN MY EUROPEAN HISTORY BOOK!?! DONT BUY THIS OR THE MONGOLS WILL HATE U CUZ THEY DONT GET MENTIONED

fantastic
This book ranks up there with the Barron's and the PR World History book.
The tests at the end of the book are very well written, and there are 3 of them more than the Barron's and PR, so if you want some last minute studying or just to take the tests I would pick up a copy of the Cliffnotes book. ... Read more

Product Description
THE ESSENTIAL WORLD HISTORY, 6e presents a balanced picture of world history that pays respect to the richness and diversity of the tapestry of the human experience. Based on the Sixth Edition of Duiker and Spielvogel's comprehensive WORLD HISTORY, this critically and popularly acclaimed book balances a thorough global approach with attention to the unique character and development of civilization in divergent parts of the world. The text covers individual civilizations such as China, India, and Europe, with due attention paid to the rise of the West, and provides points of comparison between and among these civilizations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fast shipping and remarkable product
The product was in excellent condition. I received it faster than I thought. This was my first time buying anything on amzaon and the experience was great.

typical inaccuracies, unprofessional
It seems that the closer to modern history this text reaches, the further away from accuracy it strays.I was particularly disappointed when reading that Duiker is considered somewhat of an "expert" on Communism--and, by association, socialism.Alas, his expertise does not mean he can differentiate between basic terms such as "welfare state" and socialism.Furthermore, the later chapters are written from the perspective that socialism (even when wrongly identified) is the scourge of the earth, while capitalism will solve all problems.

Given the fact that the authors incorrectly identify a welfare state as socialism, it seems even stranger that they would characterize such systems, past and future--despite the fact that historical research is a descriptive endeavor rather than prescriptive--as utter failures, even though the nation with the greatest living standard in the world is in fact a welfare state.

I am sincerely disappointed with the skewed perspective the authors impose upon impressionable students that usually don't know any better but to accept it all as fact.Although, if you accept the statements provided in the Essential World History, 2nd edition, such anti-academic practices only happen in non-western, communist and freedom hating countries.

If you're interested in indoctrinating a large audience of students ignorant of history, by all means provide this book as their text.If you want to teach real history, however, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (69)

THE BEST HISTORY BOOK EVER
I bought this book about a month ago and I'm still reading it.I love history books and i have read alot of them and some were so boring that they made me go to sleep.But this one takes history to a whole new level Gombrich tells you the history in a summery like a story but with important details and it is very fun to read.NOT BORING AT ALL.

This author did insert opinions.
I read the other reviews and decided to try this book.From the reviews, I thought this would not be written from any particular worldview.It is.This author did provide facts and he did insert his opinions.I bought this book to read out loud to my children.I only read the first half of the book to myself and stopped.I kept trying to find a reason to share this book with my children.The information provided was better provided in the VP History Cards. Here is one quote of advice that the author offered, "One day - but there's no hurry - you may come to read the Bible". (pg. 25) One book review from the book says it well, "Gombrich opens with the most magical definition of history I have ever read... Tolerance, reason and humanity.... suffuse every page of the Little History" by Amanda Vickery, Guardian Review.

wonderful easy to read history book
What a breath of freash air!A history book written from a different point of view.It reads as if you are being read a story by your grandfather.If we do not learn from history we are doomed to make the same mistakes.A must read.

Nice book for a general history of the west!!!
I heard of this book on NPR radio and had to buy it! The radio story was actually about a similar style book titled "A Little Book of Language" I didn't care much about that title, but this one piqued my interest, so I bought it! I read a chapter or two (only a few pages)each night and as a person who didn't care much for or pay attention to history during my school years, I now understand what I missed!! This book gets the main ideas/topics across without overwhelming you with minute details. I love it! Definitely a good book/gift for an older child!

Brilliant, easy to understand, a must-read.
"A Little History of the World" is a wonderful book. The whole book is presented as a "story", all the historical events are mostly linked together and in a sequence. Also, this book introduces a wide range of historical events and stories, from Jesus Christ to Mecca, and from Constantinople to the Qin Dynasty in China.

But because this book was written in 1936, the WWII was not described, which some (including me) might find it disappointing.

In a nutshell, "A Little History of the World" is an interesting read. The words used are very easy to understand, so I recommend this book to most age groups, especially children and teens. Futhermore, I think this book is a must-read to all those people who are interested in world history. Although the book does not include the epic WWII, but you can still find some very inspiring and exciting stories, from the ancient times to the First World War.
Hope you all like this book. Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Produced in collaboration with Dorling Kindersley, the leader in cartographic publishing, this updated 2nd edition of Prentice Hall's "Atlas of Western Civilization" applies the most modern and innovative map-making techniques to present global history in all of its complexity and diversity. It presents both a broad overview and a detailed examination of historical developments. ... Read more

Product Description
With unparalleled social history coverage, "A History of World Societies" explores the stories of all the peoples of the world, within a political framework. The text is known for its readability and teachability, plus its attention to recent scholarship and new historical interpretations. New author Roger Beck joins the team in this edition. An expert in African history and Twentieth Century World History, Beck has completely revised the last four chapters and offered his scholarly knowledge to revisions throughout the text. The entire author team has worked to increase coverage of non-western topics and achieve a more balanced, global approach to world history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Window to Civilizations of the Past and Present
As far as world civilization textbooks go, this one proves to be the most useful.The book spans from Paleolithic icemen to the industrialized peoples of the 20th century all around the world.Included are timelines within each chapter summarizing major events for the chapter.They are short and to the point.Lovely and helpful pictures appear on every page.As a person reads through this book, the begin to be able to make connections between social, cultural, political, and economic ideas in each civilization and then follows up on how each civilization develops throughout time.It is an excellent textbook for people who want to start studing world history. ... Read more

Product Description
In a space of little over 30 years, the world was transformed. The European great powers were no longer ascendant, even if that was not yet fully revealed to them, and the US, a regional power as of 1914, now belonged to the wholly new category of "superpower." What happened in this short period to work such a dramatic change? The answer lies neither in Europe alone norin the West more broadly, and one of the virtues of this bold new international history of the period that Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America are allowed to play their parts. It treats the Asian and European crises and wars of 1931-45, for example, as a single interlocking whole, as world leaders at the time were forced to do. It also acknowledges to an unusual degree the importance of imperial and economic circumstances in framing the policies of states towards one another. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

a nice attempt but still some thoughts need more explanation

The Ebbing of European Ascendancy by Sally Marks is an interesting look at how international relations played out from World War 1 to World War 2.Despite the uniqueness of this topic there are some very glaring historical errors with the book.Marks uses the term great power very loosely and at times is giving the term to countries that it really does not apply to.The actions of countries here are not always correctly attributed and more attention should be paid especially to Italy's role in forming diplomacy and looking at the motives of countries.One of the other areas of complaints with this book is that she considers the fall of Latin America from European ascent to take place after World War 1 when in fact Napoleon had far more to with the freedom of these countries than the First World War.Again though this is a massive undertaking and there are some interesting and engaging thoughts here.One of the nice aspects of this book is a very through bibliography that follows each chapter and can direct you to further reading on the subjects should you choose.

A great work
Dr. Marks out does herself!

History has never been so articulate, clear and gripping. She can raise the most novice historians to experts after quickly reading this book.

She is truly a great historian and this book is a must! ... Read more

Product Description
This major revision has been hailed as the most definitive volume of world history to date. Each of the 126 color spreads has been reviewed in detail by a team of leading historians and brought up to date to reflect the latest scholarship. Features updated chronology, place-name index, 30 new maps, 120 color illustrations, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Times Atlas of World History
I first looked at this book at a friend's house while visiting the Czech Republic.He fetched it from his bookshelf to illustrate a point he was making about the changing boundaries of Eastern Europe during the first half of the 20th century.I was fascinated and had to have the book when I got home.I located it through Amazon; it shipped from Britain and arrived quickly.It holds a wealth of information.A must for history and map buffs.

The fifth edition has a different title
Note that the latest (1999, 5th) edition is called the "Hammond Atlas of World History," and is available at Amazon.com. There is no mention of "Time" anymore, causing possible confusion. It is superb.

Illuminating
In this day and age, where I find so many of us suffering from "historical amnesia", this book is an excellent reference to why our world is the way it is today. If you've ever wondered why that country's border is over here instead of over there, if you've ever wondered what all the fuss was about in what was Yugoslavia, if you've ever why some languages are so alike and why some languages sound like fusions of others, if you are not one of those people who believe the world came into creation after you were born, this book is for you.

The next time you see "Gladiator", "Titanic", or any period film, look at this book and see what the world looked like then. It will give you a tremendous perspective that goes beyond the scope of the films. Who were those barbarians that Maximus was fighting and where did all those other gladiator slaves come from ? It's all here.

Best of many I looked at.
I wouldn't rave forever like the dude from Providence about it.Some of the rivers are left unnamed on some of the maps as if they were not essentially formative during various times in history.With that caveatout of the way, I must have inspected 20 or 30 atlases seeking the mostcomprehensive historical atlas to help me through Gibbons' Decline andFall... This is by far the best of the lot.

The key historical resource for every household
This book reveals history with an unusual magnetism by its ingenious use of graphic arts. It conveys exponentially greater amounts of information in a single page than even a whole normally written book can. With beautifullycrafted, 3-D-appearing maps and inviting use of color, this atlas puts youin an astounding overview of world history not obtainable from normalhistory publications. I think this book is an absolute must for everyhousehold with growing children and a wonderful tool for adults, as well.It's also the penultimate jumping off point for anyone wishing to studyhistory further. And, I must say, it's absolutely perfect for those whohate history! They won't hate it after seeing this book. To give you anindication of my reaction to this book, I bought it now because I'd seen ityears ago in our public library at a time when I was out of money. I neverforgot it. It has remained one of the priorities I swore I'd attend to assoon as I got back in the money and so, after waiting all those years, I'vefinally bought my own copy of it. Not many better ways to use thatlong-awaited money than getting a book like this. I am not a history expertso I cannot possibly have checked this book for historical content. But Idon't think that's an issue with this book. I think you'll still know manytimes more about world history after you're done with this book thanwithout it, even if historians found some text entry or ancient border toargue over. By the way, if my writing style sounds a bit commercial, Ireally am customer of amazon.com, not a plant by the publisher orsomething. It's just that I spent a number of years as a typesetter and sohave picked up a writing style common to advertisements. That's what wetypeset all day long! Sorry. ... Read more

Product Description
This wide-ranging dictionary contains a wealth of information on all aspects of history, from prehistory right up to the present day. Over 4,000 clear, concise entries include biographies of key figures in world history, seperate entries for every country in the world (summarising key historical events), and subject entries on religious and political movements, international organizations, and key battles and places. This new edition of the dictionary has been thoroughly updated to cover recent changes in world affairs. It includes new biographies for recent key figures (e.g. Vladimir Putin, Benedict XVI ), updated biographies for other major figures (e.g. Tony Blair), and the addition of recent major events and their after-effects (including the Orange Revolution and the 2004 tsunami). The book also contains twenty-five detailed maps linked to key historical events and topics. These include the African slave trade, the Black Death, and the Normandy campaign. Encyclopedic in scope, this ambitious dictionary provides an excellent overview of world history both for students and the general reader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

It does exactly what it says on the cover
It's a good quick reference guide to world history. Brilliant for reminding yourself off or looking for the basic information on a famous/important person, place or event in history.

As per usual Oxford books well published and researched and this one is a brilliant brief guide to the history of the world.

In simple it does exactly what it says on the cover. A dictionary of world history.

Great resource!
This book is a great resource book filled with all kinds of interesting information about countless important figures in history!It's interesting to just flip through the book and read about people, or you can look up someone specific. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Great book!
Another book I bought to help me prepare for my Assessment Center for National Board certification, this one was helpful, too.Easy to read; good charts and illustrations.

Maybe Anne and Kate should leave history text-writing to historians
I knew it was going to be bad when early on the Hebrews were listed among the Phoenicians,Hittites, and Persians as a major ancient civilization -- a write-up full of daft errors based solely on the Old Testament(like that the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt)despite no supporting archaeological evidence; or worse yetbased on nothing at all(like that the Hebrews were monotheisticdespite repeated references throughout the OT to other gods) .

Similarly, while the listed accomplishments of Phoenicians quite sensibly include things like "They invented the alphabet,"the Hebrews are listed as providing such historically important developments as "They were the first to record the Old Testament" (who were the second?one wonders) and "Their prophets fought for justice for the poor and the weak".No doubt this last is a reference to the many OT passages like thisfrom prophet and social justice campaigner Ezekiel:"Then I heard the LORD say to the other men"Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked.Show no mercy; have no pity Kill them all - old and younggirls and women and little children.""

The problem is not just that this one entry was clearly written on the basis of a half-remembered Bible Stories for Children collection.The entire book is full of careless errors and ahistorical junk.The Egyptians "forced thousands of slaves to work" on the pyramids.Sources for this claim?Anyone?Charlton Heston films are not historical documentaries.Or how about "Athens became wealthy from its trade and colonies"? No mention of its empire-- its extortion of tribute from the Delian League and appropriation of the treasury from Delos to Athens.No,no.The story is:Sparta got rich by slavery, Athens by trade and colonies.

This is simple history written for folks who don't care whether they believe truths or untruths, unfortunately.Avoid it like the plague.

Beware! Historically inaccurate!
This book is loaded with historical inaccuracies! I can't imagine how Scholastic's editing department let this get by. You do not want to give this book to children without a knowledgeable adult standing by to correct it. Here are just two examples, both found on the same page. It says the Parthenon was built "in the fifth century A.D." It should have said B.C. or BCE. And it says that Athens and Sparta "were located on the Peloponnesian Peninsula." Actually, only Sparta is in the Peloponnese -- Athens is not.

Homeschooler's Blessing
Again, another wonderful resource book for homeschooling families and anyone who just want to know more. I have nothing but high praise for these books "Everything You Need to Know..." and highly recommend them.

Great World History Review!
I bought this book because all of the other books that I found were about 400 pages.They weren't concise and to the point which, is what I needed.This book is only a mere 130 pages in length.The pages are all neatly color coded and range from Ancient History (4000BC-AD 500) to The Modern World (1700-Present).I used this book as an adult to review the major points in World History.It's really a book meant for a younger population (ages 9 and up) but, when you don't have that much time to study or really need it as a quick reference it will the job with ease.I used it to help me pass the CSET which is a teaching requirement.

The organization of the book is fantastic!Color coded edges to the right let you know what era in history you're reading about and which items pertain to that specific era in time.The images are colorful and the book is abundant with them.They have clear bold titles which help you remember what you're reading about.Also, at the end of a specific item there is a mini-summary to help you remember the major points that were talked about.

This book is great and in fact, all of the "Everything You Need To Know About..." series are all pretty much the same and are incredibly knowledgeable and specific.You can brush up on the major points in World History or use it as a teaching reference or a parent reference for the home.Trust me, your kids/students will love this book and they'll love you for buying it for them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Teaches History with no Time-lLnes ?
Who edited this book, poorly done & a bad investment. We're in our first year of homeschooling starting in the middle, I bought this to bring my sons' up to speed to learn history in chronological order, this book says" This interesting book takes you on a trip through time" There are no timelines! it begins the periods & stories with no reference to the time period & uses XXXX years ago as time references??? the same forthe historical figures bio's. This is to teach 7-9, I bought 2 workbooks + teacher's guide.

Great for Learning World History
This is a great book for learning World History in a short period of time. Published as a textbook, but can be helpful to everyone ... Read more

Product Description
This book is the fundamental starting point for the study of continuity and change in the global social, economic and political system over the longest historical term. Bringing together eminent interdisciplinary scholars, World System History considers the nature of social continuity back through history, resulting in a book which cuts across boundaries in social science and deals with at least 5000 years of the human past in a truly global perspective, No other volume offer so coordinated a picture of the issues of the prospects for the unified study of world system history. The kind of transdisciplinary cooperation needed to make sense of our complex world is made clear through the range of contributors' perspectives, This extraordinary book shows that in order to understand contemporary issues we must study the long term history of the world system. It will be a vital overview of perspective on the history of the world system for all graduates and researcher in a variety of fields such as international political economy, world history and sociology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Great Read that Needs a long attention span!
I agree to the previous comments about this book being hard to read, and it is indeed for scholars, hence the price!

I wouldn't go so far as calling myself a scholar, but I am certainly "in" on the subject of the book, and enjoy the arguments presented, especially ones by Gunder Frank/Gills and Chase-Dunn.For those who might find it hard to read and comprehend, you can start by reading basic theories that founded this book, works like The Colonizers Model of the World from Late James Blaut or ReOrient of Gunder Frank (although that is not easy to read either, but Frank has a great treasury of vocabulary!).Even reading Fernand Braudel's History of Civilization might help, although he is still out there in the realm of Eurocentrism for this book.

Good content, hard to read
I like reading history. I enjoy with it. I am not a professional historian.

In the last few years I have tried and read books offering a broad scope and general overviews of history (you may well say that globalization has reached history too).

I daresay that the technical content of this book is excellent. But unless you really like the technical side of global history do no read it. It is written by scholars for scholars. I have rated three stars, taken into account that, because of its content, I should rate it five stars, but if I think of its readability, it would be one [there are exceptions: after all, it is written by 18 different persons-]. As they explain "this volume is designed as a fundamental starting point for the transdisciplinary study of continuity and change in the global social, economic, and political system over the longest of historical term"; and "these papers were originally presented at a special conference that took place in 1995 at the University of lund in Sweden. They were subsequently refined in light of the interaction made possible by that meeting".

Which books would I recommend then you to read? Well, that, of course, depends so much on each person's tastes! Kindly let me reccommend a few ones: "The Rise of the West" by William H. McNeill, "Origins of the state and civilization", by Elman R. Service, "The Great Divergence", by Kenneth Pomeranz, "The dynamics of Global Dominance. European overseas empires 1415-1980", and, above all, "The History of Government", by S.E. Finer. ... Read more

Product Description
The world history book to define all others, National Geographic Visual History of the World is a classic in the making. No other volume offers such a comprehensive and richly illustrated chronicle of world events, from the construction of the Pyramids to the overthrow of the Taliban. Readers see how momentous happenings, personalities, catastrophes, discoveries, and inventions unfold in a visually stimulating layout. Four eight-page gatefolds bring to life major events of world history and thousands of paintings, photographs and illustrations depict subjects ranging from the Roman Empire to the Reformation, World War II, to the war in Afghanistan. A timeline at the bottom of every page highlights the most important events, names, and dates of the era, and color-coded cross-referencing helps point readers to other applicable sections. Ideal for people who prefer to flip through books at random, this highly accessible resource contains sidebars on the great religions, influential ideologies, and other topics, as well as biographies of world leaders and notable personalities in the arts and humanities.

National Geographic Visual History of the World is an indispensable, impressive, and extravagantly illustrated reference of social, cultural, and military history in one volume. It is a must-have for all families, armchair historians, and serious scholars alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Cheap and easy to follow but no maps
National Geographic Visual History of the World, or NGH for short, is an extensive, well-illustrated, up-to-date book covering the history of humankind from the appearance of the first hominids to about 2005. It's concise, accessible to non-scholarly readers and can be a great fun just to browse through the illustrations, but it doesn't contain any meaningful maps!

With illustrations being its main selling point NGH presents us mostly with a treasure trove of images of historic figures and buildings, and of other artefacts like art, tools and weapons. They are numbered and linked to the corresponding text, even if they relate to it only vaguely. On the other hand, with often a dozen pictures per spread it's easy to forget they should be useful as well as numerous.

Surprisingly there are hardly any maps and this is NGH's biggest minus. A historical atlas is a required companion, or in case of Philip's Atlas of World History(Hardcover) a worthy substitute with plenty of text and abundance of maps, charts and an occasional picture.

NGH has an easy to follow format. The world history is divided into eight periods, from pre-history to the modern times, each color-coded for easy search. Each period is divided into much smaller sections. With about 120 sections in total a typical section focuses on one subject like a country or an event, with one page being a section introduction, for example "The Kingdom of Franks" and another one or a few pages more specific - "The Rise of Carolingians", "Charlemagne's Wars", and "The Empire of Charlemagne" for example.
At the bottom of each age there is a timeline of the period concerned, but naturally they often overlap. This is a clear layout of data that is both easy to follow and easy to search - the NGH's biggest plus.

National Geographic is a very trustworthy publisher, but a book of this scope is bound to contain some errors or bones of contention. For example, on page 20 it states that 'around 40,000 years ago, modern Homo sapiens, in the form of the Cro-Magnon man, finally migrated out of Africa to Europe.' This is an over-simplification at best. Homo sapiens had made a long detour in Middle Asia before populating Europe.
Also, for the earliest history it follows the middle chronology (reign of Hammurabi 17921750 BCE), instead of recently more supported short chronology (17281686 BCE). By the way, Hammurabi is spelt Hammurapi in NGH. While it's not a mistake, NGH doesn't specify which chronology it chose to follow, which makes it more confusing if you want to consult other sources.

For a world history book it's slightly too concerned with the Western hemisphere, but other regions are fairly and consistently covered as well.

NGH's main competitor in books is DK History: The Definitive Visual Guide : From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day (Hardcover) or DKH for short.

They are quite similar, both are about the same size, are fairly recent and up to date and of course come with a wealth of illustrations. The main difference is the price - NGH is much cheaper, which is also the reason why I chose it. However, DKH contains maps, graphs, etc, making it worth paying a few bucks extra. But on the whole they present history in different ways and focus on other details, but it's a matter of personal preference which book does it better.

I also believe it still competes well against online sources like Wikipedia, especially thanks to the illustrations and conciseness, but if you want to read about anything in more detail, Wikipedia wins hands down.

To sum up, NGH is well worth the price, but it would be more informative with maps.

Just what he wanted
I bought this book as a gift for my son-in-law.It is a beautiful book and he has really enjoyed it.

few maps for a history book
In my opinion the book has a major flow, which is it contains very few maps. Unless the reader has a good idea about ancient and modern world history, it is quite hard to figure out where everyhing is where. The book is very superficial in this respect.

Excellent narrative (oh, but where are the maps?)
This book provides a wonderful way of learning history -- interestingly written and great pictures and photographs.The only thing lacking (and a major omission) is maps.In covering world history over its complete span, the reader cannot be expected to know the exact location of the Asian Steppes or Bithynia.Please include adequate maps for the next edition.

Too simplistic
I wish I could agree with most of the other reviewers but I did not find this to be a remarkable work. I instead found it simplistic, often insultingly so. Its coverage, for instance of the 'Second World War' is absolutely disgraceful. It is almost as if Churchill were just another ordinary politico, who happened to be leader of Great Britain at the time. Nowhere is there any indication of the great role he played in turning the tide towards Allied Victory.
Simplicity reigns everywhere. And it is of course possible to say that this is only for high- schoolers, only meant to provide material at a certain level. But by being so simplistic one does not really provide even a basis in understanding.
I remember the History Text Books used in American schools five decades ago. They were more detailed and my guess is as well or better written than what we have here.
I do not like to down books especially ones which are aimed to being educational tools, and better informing the general public.
But I just believe that the coverage given here to the subjects I know something about, and examined is really not adequate. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Some do, some don't
Stearns has written here a very broad description of how the industrial revolution evolved, or failed to evolve, in many countries over the last two centuries.This is a very big task, and has no well defined beginning or end, nor even very many milestones.Moreover, there are, according to Stearns, nearly as many paths to development as there are countries that develop.No tipping points, no critical inventions and no heroic personalities either.While I suppose there is a certain truth to this point of view, and may even be historically accurate, it makes for a somewhat dull read.I prefer to have my history laced with a few gee-whizes accomplished by some impossibly heroic figures.But that's just me.

His recitation of the changes that took place is almost formless, without generalities, or even much definition. While it was certainly humbling to contemplate the breadth of his scholarship, I didn't get what I was looking for out of this work--some hypotheses or possible explanations for what happened.I appreciate the difficulty of the problem and the mystery of ultimate historical causation, but the author would have been better off, I think, if he had taken a little stab at it, at least.

The book has four maps and a dozen or so illustrations, but only five graphs--and most of those are ridiculously parsimonious in the amount of data shown.Surely in a subject of this scope, tables and better graphs would have helped to organize it.

Despite these shortcomings, I think the book is a worthwhile contribution to the history of a very important part of the human story, and I'm glad to have read it. ... Read more

Product Description
An extremely accessible narrative of the world's history

A book of extraordinary ambition, scholarship and accessibility, The New Penguin History of the World covers the history of our planet from our origins on the African savannah to the state of the world six years after September 11, 2001. Tracing the development of different civilizations through the ages, J. M. Roberts examines the periods of turbulence and change, the international shifts in order and power, and the conflicts, divisions, and advances that have shaped the way we live.

A truly global and comprehensive chronicle of human experience-of ordinary people, as well as of those in power-across all continents and conditions, The New Penguin History of the World brilliantly conveys the staggering diversity of human life and achievement. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

A Tapestry of Recorded History
There are two ways to write history, one as a tapestry that follows the threads of social themes continuously through the ages, the other as a mosaic that jumps from major event and personality to major event and personality.The New Penguin History of the World is solidly in the first camp, more a social history tracing such things as economics, politics, and religion than a compendium of the events that resonate most loudly in our past.Each approach has its pros and cons.The mosaic can oversimplify as the author attempts to crystallize long term and continuous trends into discrete events but it also provides clear milestones of major changes and their consequences.The tapestry can weave a more continuous story of important topics one at a time but can veil as much as it reveals. Sadly this book veils and clouds a lot more than I think it has to.

For the positive I cannot give the book anything less than four stars because it is simply a breathtaking achievement, literally a history of the world from "cave-man" times (obviously analysis of anthropological evidence and not "events") to around 2007 (updated by a second author for the more recent years after Mr. Roberts' passing.)It also does an excellent job of filtering out the most important aspects of such a giant topic, and even at 1188 pages of densely packed text can only scratch the surface.In the end you will be put on an excellent footing for further reading on nearly any subject of history and to be able understand it in its comprehensive context by reading this book.It is thus eminently worth it.(Even though, it can literally take months to read.)

However some negatives did detract.Although a "tapestry" as explained above it doesn't really draw any sweeping conclusions of convincing or profound nature (it does make a small few attempts), something of a lost opportunity given its amazing scope.As a matter of fact he is rather open about tending to avoid such conclusions.Any judgement from history would be non-final and arguably biased but I would rather hear the author's best and most insightful stab at it and then think over whether I agree or disagree than be left with nothing to mull over.However this is not to say that he doesn't provide any attempts at explanation, he does sometimes, and it's a sad disappointment that the whole world appears a nail.Mr. Roberts wields the hammer of "overpopulation" and this becomes the reason for every ill almost any society throughout history has encountered.Demography is certainly one of the most powerful forces driving history on a scale such as this, but the author seems to lack any imagination or will to attempt other perhaps more plausible explanations for many world events.Near the more recent part of the book you can see more clearly that the author also brings a progressive bias.Although there were many small cases (far more praise for Democratic US presidents, backhanded compliments for the Republican ones, reform always being described as necessary and change always described as good, etc.) the thing that struck me most egregiously was that in his page or two on Mao Tze-Tung he spent more time on the fact that Mao wrote poetry than he did on the fact that Mao has the blood of more people on his hands than any other person who has lived in history.Mao is ultimately presented as a great modernizer who made some missteps along the way.A small example, but one that for some reason I felt particularly telling.

Nonetheless the drawbacks do not approach undoing the value of reading the book.A great, solid foundation for learning world history, one that I am glad to have read and makes me interested in further detail reading.

great condition
This book was in great shape and received in a timely manner.Would by from this seller again!Thanks.

Perfect for autodidacts
I've been a reading a lot of history in the last few years, each book an in-depth study of a particular period or country or a recurring theme. Quite often I realized that I didn't understand the offstage action, so I went looking for a broad-brush world history to provide some context for my *other* reading. If that's what you are looking for, this book is ideal.

It is Euro-centric. But if you are interested in how events in one part of the world affected another, for long stretches of world history what happened in, say, Japan had no bearing on anyone but the Japanese.

First rate
Roberts is a master of the broad brush, managing to make world history a page-turner and 1200 pages seem like 300 (or so). Because the subject's so large, it always feels like you're moving at high speed and observing from high above. There's little room for detail, but that's the nature of world history. The beauty of it is that Roberts makes connections and observations of patterns, and we're able to do the same, which wouldn't be possible in a history of smaller scope with more detail (of course, we need both).

One particularly valuable example is the context in which he places the American Revolution and subsequent US expansion. At the time, the revolution was a relatively small matter and Europe was focused on more important things. After the war, Britain controlled the seas and also controlled the territory north of the new nation. With a weak power (Spain) controlling much of the areas south and west, and with France checked by Britain in North America, the US was able to expand in an essentially invisible bubble of protection created by Britain. It was in Britain's interests to let this weak little English-speaking upstart expand rather than allowing another European power to fill the relative void of North America (it doesn't make it right, but one of the European powers would have done it if the US hadn't). A little deflating for our national mythology, but isn't that one of the purposes of history done well?

A good purchase
The book is helping me reviewing my knowledge on world history, with vivid approaches in simple language. It is specially advisable to people whose mother-tongue is not english as is my case. ... Read more

Product Description
From constitutional documents, political theory, and philosophy to imaginative literature and social description, you'll find fascinating primary source material in SOURCES OF WORLD HISTORY VOLUME I. Each selection is included for its ability to raise a significant issue and includes works representative of major civilization complexes (Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Islamic world, and Western civilization). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Read
Got this for my history class (dont really enjoy history btw) but I loved this book easy to read short stories. Great book to have. ... Read more

Product Description
Having a profound influence on the history of the twentieth century, the First World War left an intense legacy that continues to affect both those who lived through it and those who merely read about it in school. It was the first conflict in which airplanes, submarines, and tanks played a significant role and the first in which casualties on the battlefield outnumbered those from disease. It precipitated the collapse of the empires of Austria-Hungary and Turkey, and it promoted revolution in Russia. America's entry into the war and the part it played in the peace settlement signaled the arrival on the world stage of a new great power.
In this extensively illustrated book, an international team of experts explores the war in all its different aspects. From its causes to its consequences, from the strategy of the politicians to the tactics of the generals, the course of the war is charted, and its political and human consequences assessed. The legacy of 'the war to end wars'--in poetry and prose, in collective memory and political culture--is with us still, eighty years after that first Armistice Day. This remarkable book helps us understand that legacy.Amazon.com Review
This illustrated history is an outstanding summary of currentscholarship on the war that was supposed to end all wars. Nearly twodozen contributors write smart and accessible essays on a range ofsubjects, including the military strategies of the Allies and theCentral Powers, the war at sea, economic mobilization, politics on thehome front, and the peace settlement. The chapters are full ofintelligent insights. John Morrow, writing on the air war, notes thatfighter pilots became "the ultimate heroes of the First World War"because their feats of individual combat could be easily romanticized,in contrast to the mass slaughter taking place in the trenchesbelow.

The collection of essays isn't a narrative of what happened, eventhough its material is presented in roughly chronologicalorder. Rather, it approaches the conflict from several angles andstudies them up close. Readers who aren't familiar with thefundamentals of the conflict may want to look elsewhere for basicinformation--one writer, for instance, refers to the Zimmerman Telegramwithout explaining what it is. Those who know the basics, however,will find this book quickly rewarding. Good reading for armchairgenerals. --John J. Miller ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Everything you need to know about WWI
Good book.I needed it for a class on the Great War.This book is the best (except for Tuchman's the Guns of August) I've read so far about WWI.There are plenty of color pictures and it was easy to read.

A Horrible Historical Work
This book does a horrible job of documenting the history of World War I.It has multiple errors, and none of the authors cite any of the works that their essays were developed from, or provide evidence to support their conclusions.There is a selection of works for further reading but there is not a works cited, or footnotes. The problem with this work is that someone who picks up this book to learn about World War I is going to get a lot of poor information, and information that is completely wrong.For a book that carries the tag of Oxford, this is unexceptable. Do not purchase this book, there are many more books out there that properly cite their research and comprehensively explore the causes and effects of the events of World War I.

Pretty good but not for beginers
I bought this book because I was hoping for more of a overview of WWI.I've read a lot about WWII and always have found it useful to read something general first, then identify the elements you found really intersting and go buy a focused book on those aspects.

This is not really a beginers overview at all.It is a collection of writings by some apparantly well qualified scholars.Some parts are still very interesting from a beginers point of view, but the fact that it isn't really chronological is a little annoying.There is a chapter on the Central Powers strategy, a chapter on the war on the western front, a chapter on the effect on women, a chapter on the economic impact of the war, etc.

I think it is probably a really good book, it is just a tad advanced for a beginner like me.I probably should have paid more attention before buying it.

One other minor complaint is that that although the book has a ton of pictures (which is good), the captions are not great.For example, there will be a picture of 8 people standing there and the caption will tell you that one is an Italian general, who is talking to his king, but it won't tell you who is who (e.g. the King is the 3rd from the left).You just kinda have to guess who is who based on how old/important they look.

Not for the Beginner
Let me add a disclaimer to this review, I am only moderately interested in the First World War and was hoping to get an easy to read and complete history of the conflict to aid my understanding.I thought this would be a good book to accomplish this task and cover the basics.What I found was that I had made a mistake.The book is a collection of essays written by some very competent and well thought of British historians.It appeared to me that each of them was very familiar with the topic chosen and the essays really were good, well thought out and written documents.The issue I had is that I was looking for more of a overview of the war, these essays left a lot of the basic information out, thus many times I felt that I was not getting the full story or even that I was lost.

I also have a hang up with books that are written in this method - a different author does each chapter. I tend to be bothered by the different writing styles and sometimes not complete follow through of the subject / topic.With these statements made, the book is a well-written document on the war.The illustrations are very interesting and bring a good deal of life to the topic.The editor places the pictures and illustrations though out the book.I found the chapters on the Eastern / Western fronts and the entry of the American's to be the most interesting.

So if you are like me with a marginal interest in the war and are looking for a well-written overview this is not the book for you. But if you are a WW 1 history buff then you will probably get a lot of enjoyment out of this book and you should disregard my review.

World War 1
The essays in this book are excellent. Writen by some of the greatest historians, of the First World War. ... Read more

Product Description
This innovative and user-friendly workbook is designed to guide students and instructors through the ideas and methods of the growing field of world history. Useful as either a supplement or a core text, this hands-on book provides all the elements necessary to conduct a full-fledged world history course, including narrative, projects, primary sources, and a glossary of terms. Within a unifying argument that world history is the history of a single humanity, David Hertzel uses the comparative method and an array of primary sources to teach critical thinking skills using primary sources. Students become active learners, not only observers but participants in and heirs to world history. ... Read more