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Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: A History of the World from the Beginnings of Humankind to the Present
In this second edition, the book's non-Eurocentric approach continues with expansions of the original eleven world history "turning point" stories from the modern period to include ten more "turning point" stories from the earlier periods of world history. From the history of the world's first cities built on the great rivers of Afro-Eurasia, to the formation of the Silk Road, to the rise of nation-states, and the story of modern globalization, Worlds Together, Worlds Apart provides students with the stories that changed history and enables them to make the connections they need in order to better understand how the world came to be what it is today.
960 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 17, 2014
A really good text, although like all American text books terribly overpriced. Great illustrations though and nice writing. Best thing is that it is one of few world history books that does treat the globe as a connected whole and looks at globalising (and antiglobalising) forces rather than just collection a whole lot of national histories into a 'world history'. Good maps as well are a bonus.
February 2, 2017
Though a just typical thick textbook concentrated on framework rather than details, this book is a captivating one that is hard to miss. Several features make it stand out:
1. It is a really "global" history book emphasizing the common trend in both the Western World and the Eastern World during specific periods of time even before the discovery of the New World started the global epoch so the Western World and the Eastern World are more closely interwoven than ever. For example, chapter 3 draws a comparison in which the settled agriculture societies both in Mesopotamia and in China were invaded by nomads. Nearly every chapter is skillfully structured so that every continent are addressed and the common trend are accentuated.
2. At the beginning of every chapter, "storyline" put forward the main points of the chapter. And at the end of the of every chapter, "conclusion" part summarize the central argument and questions encourage readers to formalize a personalized perspective of history.
3. "Primary Sources" parts significantly complement the general ideas made in the main texts by providing specific perspectives from a variety of cultures. Especially, some primary sources are translated that the original language style are preserved, which can keep the core spirit of the original source as exact as possible.
1. It is a really "global" history book emphasizing the common trend in both the Western World and the Eastern World during specific periods of time even before the discovery of the New World started the global epoch so the Western World and the Eastern World are more closely interwoven than ever. For example, chapter 3 draws a comparison in which the settled agriculture societies both in Mesopotamia and in China were invaded by nomads. Nearly every chapter is skillfully structured so that every continent are addressed and the common trend are accentuated.
2. At the beginning of every chapter, "storyline" put forward the main points of the chapter. And at the end of the of every chapter, "conclusion" part summarize the central argument and questions encourage readers to formalize a personalized perspective of history.
3. "Primary Sources" parts significantly complement the general ideas made in the main texts by providing specific perspectives from a variety of cultures. Especially, some primary sources are translated that the original language style are preserved, which can keep the core spirit of the original source as exact as possible.
August 31, 2012
A History of the World from the beginnings of Human kind till the present more of 2009 to be exact. This is more of a text book than anything else, it was recommended to me from a history course at Princeton and I decided to read it before it begun.
The best thing I liked about it, it was unbiased in every story, this objectivity is rare in our system, our history books, in the middle east they tend to take sides in telling the stories and they never deliver it as it was, the pick favors and force it on you in their writing, so if you want to know what really happened back then you have to exert a bit effort to find it.
Although this book was great, telling every major incident since the beginning of history as you know it, a further reading is required to know more about every story, this gave the main story and what came out of it, it's very useful to form a good timeline about what had happened till the day.
I liked the further notes, the extra reading scripts, the charts and the maps it was very useful.
The best thing I liked about it, it was unbiased in every story, this objectivity is rare in our system, our history books, in the middle east they tend to take sides in telling the stories and they never deliver it as it was, the pick favors and force it on you in their writing, so if you want to know what really happened back then you have to exert a bit effort to find it.
Although this book was great, telling every major incident since the beginning of history as you know it, a further reading is required to know more about every story, this gave the main story and what came out of it, it's very useful to form a good timeline about what had happened till the day.
I liked the further notes, the extra reading scripts, the charts and the maps it was very useful.
March 22, 2009
Need to fill in gaps in my world history knowledge...
June 15, 2022
I am using this for a course I am teaching at a University.
The text is pretty good and it offers a lot of great primary documents.
I just wish that some of the organization was a bit more...organized--chronologically speaking.
Either way, I think its great for a survey class and great for people who are just looking for a brief overview of the first couple millennia of recorded/preserved/estimated history
Real rating: 4.5
The text is pretty good and it offers a lot of great primary documents.
I just wish that some of the organization was a bit more...organized--chronologically speaking.
Either way, I think its great for a survey class and great for people who are just looking for a brief overview of the first couple millennia of recorded/preserved/estimated history
Real rating: 4.5
March 18, 2021
Covers large-scale trends in human society, with particular emphasis on cultural turning points for various civilizations.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews