The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged

by Peter N. Stearns (Editor)

Editorial Reviews


Amazon.com Review

The "Langer Encyclopedia," as the professional academics call The Encyclopedia of World History originally edited by the late William L. Langer, is basically a history of everything--and an outstanding reference volume. Want to know why the English called their 10th-century king Ethelred "the Unready"? See page 181. Or what the Ottoman Empire's constitution of 1876 said? See page 531. Or when women in Honduras got the vote? See page 955. This sixth edition, completely updated and revised by a team of scholars led by George Mason University's Peter N. Stearns, packs all it can into a year-by-year and region-by-region chronicle of human life on planet Earth. The book is big, the type is small, and the maps and genealogical tables are excellent. Stearns has added more material on women, leisure activities, and demographics to this edition, and the sections on Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Latin America are much different from the previous version. As if this weren't enough, the book comes with a CD-ROM featuring the complete text and fantastic search capabilities. The Encyclopedia of World History is highly recommended for serious history buffs. --John Miller

Genres: History, Reference, World History, Nonfiction, The World

1243 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2001

About the author

Peter Nathaniel Stearns is a professor at George Mason University, where he was provost from January 1, 2000 to July 2014.
Stearns was chair of the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University and also served as the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (now named Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences) at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition, he founded and edited the Journal of Social History. While at Carnegie Mellon, he developed a pioneering approach to teaching World History, and has contributed to the field as well through editing, and contributing to, the Routledge series, Themes in World History. He is also known for various work on the nature and impact of the industrial revolution and for exploration of new topics, particularly in the history of emotions.
He is active in historical groups such as the American Historical Association, the Society for French Historical Studies, the Social Science History Association and the International Society for Research on Emotion.

Reviews

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often turn to this reference when reading to check historical facts or research further. The short, concise, chronological events are perfect for a quick check - then back to what I was doing..

[Sahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great objective work summarizing the history of the world.

[Science and Fiction · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep this as a reference tool, but it’s not really reader-friendly. I much prefer the layout and fleshed-out descriptions found in Asimov’s Chronology of the World. If you are a researcher and want a lot of year-by-year minutia, this is it. But good luck finding something particular that you want to know about. I remember from my first reading of this that somewhere in the 1890s somebody first proved that parasites act as a vector for disease. When I tried to find that entry again I couldn’t because that decade is spread out over many chapters first by world geography then by topic (arts, music, horticulture, medicine, politics, science, etc.). Since I didn’t remember the scientists name, the Index did not help. I should have just used Google!

Verdict: it a handsome volume that looks nice on my shelf, but I rarely reach for it unless I’m hankering for a dose of frustration.

[Carlie Crowe]

The encyclopedia of world history. (2001). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Citation by: Carlie Crowe

Type of Reference: Encyclopedia

Call Number: Ref 909

Content/Scope: A encyclopedia targeted for high school students, containing more than 20,000 entries that span prehistoric times to they year 2000.

Accuracy/Authority/Bias: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global leader in educational content. Many schools turn to them for text.

Arrangement/Presentation: Arrangement is chronological. Included in the 1272 page encyclopedia are chronological eras in history, and appendixes, maps, and genealogical tables.

Relation to other works: There are many world history encyclopedias; this encyclopedia meets requirements for libraries that need a comprehensive reference at a high school level.

Accessibility/Diversity: This encyclopedia will be of specific interest to students who are studying world history or have a interest in this field.

Cost: $23.15

Professional Review: Dunham, J. (2008). Encyclopedia of World History. Library Journal, 133(20), 160-161.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Encyclopedia of World History" by Peter N. Stearns (Ninth Edition), is not fully comprehensive (not without trimmed out information), but it is still a great read.

I am especially critical of the world history encyclopedias I read, because having read a great deal of them, I know what has been included and what has been excluded due to the editors' decision to make it more inviting for a younger audience, since many young people do not have the patience to read a book that is over three thousand pages.

[Rosa Ramôa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lutero apelou a muitos grupos na Alemanha por diferentes razões.Alguns concordavam sinceramente com ele e acreditavam que a sua doutrina era a verdadeira versão do cristianismo.Outros viram no protestantismo vantagens políticas e sociais.Porque Lutero e os seus seguidores protestavam contra o catolicismo".

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remain somewhat suspicious of any book that claims to be an encyclopedia of the history of the entire world. Not a bad reference, but it can't possibly fulfill its function.

[Kendra]

Had it for a while, excellent reference book, packed with info.