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Title: A History of Western Society by James Schmiechen, Bennett D. Hill, John Buckler, John P. McKay ISBN: 0-395-90440-4 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: January, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.56 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.09 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Superb refresher and quick reference
Comment: This tome, actually intended to be a textbook (thus the very substantial price), is a wonderful read and great for refreshing one's "Western civ" knowledge after being out of school over 30 years. I've always enjoyed history and it helps to have such a reference as this which presents a cogent overview of events. Certainly the book can't be all things to all people. For those areas of special interest, e.g., the Celts, one desires to obtain more in-depth sources. However, this work accomplishes what it sets out to do, to present in a mentally-digestible chronology the flow of the most significant events in Western society and to make it interesting and fun in the process. The fact that the book makes a fine general reference for home or library is an added benefit, i.e., it is not a publication to be perused just the one time. This is one of the very best history books of its kind!
Rating: 2
Summary: The dictionary of history
Comment: Yeah, okay. So it deals with ALL of the history of Western society. So what? Here is a book so lacking in actual substance I would recommend only warding it away with burning torches. Would you study Thomas Hardy with only the Oxford English Dictionary and selected cliff notes? No. And neither should you study history with this. The earlier sections take make a brave attempt, but by the time they reach the 17th century the holes start to show. The writing is mind numbingly dull, the facts skip about like smoke particles, the maps are incomplete and the graphs are simplistic. I found myself bristling with rage at the ridiculously inaccurate depiction of the 1919-20 Paris Peace Treaties and the whole description of the 20s and 30s. I simply doubled over with laughter at the attempts to find SOMETHING to say about women in the middle ages. Women were oppressed and did little, but listen to them and women were the entire lynchpin of order. The only true stroke of brilliance is their focus on individuals of each era and excerpts from primary sources. These truly round off each chapter and save this book from the scrap heap.
For the record, I am an 18 year old male studying for the AP European History test with this book. Thank the heavens that I knew something before wading into this book, and thank heavens for my teacher Ms Boyer. Otherwise I may have actually taken this to be about history rather than a stripped down factiod reel to designed for multiple choice essays.
Rating: 5
Summary: Fun to read, and very helpful in prep for AP test
Comment: History is one of my favorite subjects, and I have read quite a few textbooks in the area, and I have never found one with the perfect combination of being readable yet comprehensive.
I must admit, I found the chapters covering 1200-1800 to be much more interesting than the last few chapters, but even the last chapters had all the characters and events that you need to know.
One point that recommends this book is that it acknowledges point of view, something very important on the APEH exam or in any history analysis. Most textbooks force you to extrapolate their point of view and shift your interpretation. I found that McKay and his co-authors present a very neutral account of history, rarely passing judgment on history's actors.
The organization worked for me also. It is loosely chronological, but bends for continuity. It adequately covers almost all areas, from the Renaissance to the Thirty Years' War to the Industrial Revolution. Something about the style of writing and the organization helped my memory retention magnificently.
I took Euro sophomore year, US junior year, and as a senior I remember about twice as many things from Euro as I remember from US. I largely owe that to this book.
Remember to give yourself enough time to read the chapters, which are long and moderately dense. They take a few hours to read them really well, and you wouldn't want to read any of this book too fast or without your full attention.
Anyway, buy it, read it, enjoy it! = deeper understanding of Euro History and a 5 on the AP test.
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Title: Somos Asi Listos by James Funston, Alejandro V. Bonilla, Daphne Sherman ISBN: 082191913X Publisher: EMC Paradigm Pub. Date: January, 2000 List Price(USD): $88.23 |
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Title: Vocabulary Workshop: Level F by Jerome Shostak ISBN: 0821506110 Publisher: William H Sadlier Pub. Date: December, 1996 List Price(USD): $8.84 |
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Title: Language of Literature: World Literature by N, A ISBN: 0618087184 Publisher: McDougal Littell & Co Pub. Date: January, 2001 List Price(USD): $79.52 |
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Title: Since 1300: Chapters 1231 : Volume of ...McKay-A History of Western Society by MCKAY ISBN: 0618170561 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 01 January, 1900 List Price(USD): $87.56 |
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Title: Introduction to Probability by John E. Freund ISBN: 0486675491 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 19 May, 1993 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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