Harper Collins Atlas of World History [Hardcover]

Geoffrey Barraclough (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers (1998)
• ISBN-10: 0723010250
• ISBN-13: 978-0723010258
• Product Dimensions: 14.3 x 10.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,452,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee-table history!, January 18, 2003

By 

David O'Toole (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harper Collins Atlas of World History (Hardcover)

Each gorgeous, full-color, oversize spread covers a different historical topic or region through the years, complete with maps, charts, and concise text. Examples include "The Spread of Islam from AD 632", "The Industrial Revolution in Europe", "The Russian Revolution 1917 to 1925." Overall the exposition is engaging and to-the-point. The authors are British; this shows up both in the spelling and in the text's occasionally rather tendentious interpretation of events, particularly those involving the United States "hegemony." For example, the election of Ronald Reagan is attributed to "Nationalism, a tax-payer's revolt, and a widespread wish to be reassured..." and Carter is not even mentioned.

But overall, this book is worth having for the overall quality of its presentation and the sheer volume of little facts packed into its maps and diagrams.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harper Collins Atlas of World History, February 1, 2010

By 

Condor (Lousiana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harper Collins Atlas of World History (Hardcover)

I adore this book. I bought a copy on sale at a bookstore in Gulfport, Miss. shortly after it was published (1998) and read it cover to cover. I lost the book in Hurricane Katrina but recently ordered a "like new" replacement copy on Amazon for $.04 (!) plus shipping. Now I'm rereading all the pages related to Europe in preparation for a trip to Italy. I started reading about the "hunter/gatherers" and thought, "This is boring, 5th grad stuff" but soon got caught up in the narrative and the fascinating maps. This is the sort of book I wish I had read in preparation for high school and college history courses. Somehow, seeing history laid out in maps brings it into a sharper focus than reading page after page of narrative alone. As for the British "slant" to the Atlas, it's something I'll pay more attention to this time through.