Customer Reviews

A History of Western Society: From Antiquity to 1500, Volume A

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Reporter: Mr. Gandhi, what do you think of Western civilization?
Mahatma Gandhi: I think it would be an excellent idea!

Despite Gandhi's ironic wit, studying Western Civilization is still quite valuable, not least because it's now largely free of ethnocentric biases. This latest incarnation of Mckay's standard text is a sound tool for the task. Superb structure and organization aid in mastering the inevitable barrage of names, dates and other facts in a sweeping survey. There are also helpful cross-references, subsections, key terms, suggested readings and many striking illustrations. The numerous maps are especially useful, with plenty of data for a geography test. Reasoned judgements and substantial material on Islam, Judaism, women, peasants, heretics and other dissenters, ensure that this is no mere triumphalist tale of the rise of the West (apologies to William McNeill). Perhaps the best feature is the primary source section at each chapter's end. Along with frequent quotations in the text, this alerts students to the fundamental importance, and fascination, of original evidence in writing history. This also saves money for students, who shouldn't have to acquire a separate source collection. High prices, likely inflated by marginally useful supplements (e.g. CD-Roms), will deter some readers from buying the book. But they should not be put off by the writing, which is consistently clear and sometimes even pithy by survey-text standards. I will assign it again in future, because it works for students---and their opinion matters the most.