Customer Reviews

A History of Western Society

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I don't know what you kids are talking about; this book rocks. Yes, it's somewhat general, some events are drawn in broadstrokes, there are simplificatios etc. etc., but how else would you manage to go from antiquity through the modern era in such short space? I defy anyone to name a better survey of Western history. Honestly, if there is one, one that isn't overly specialized and jargonistic, I'd be glad to hear of it. I used this book nearly 10 years ago and I still remember what it said about the defenestration of Prague, the development of "real Politik", and the Treaty of Versailles, among other things.

I used this book as my primary resource to study for the Western Civilization I CLEP test. I found it interesting and informative. In three weeks, I read it cover to cover, took the CLEP test, and scored nearly twice the number of points needed to earn college credit. I would recommend it to anyone who is motivated and needs to work within a limited time frame.

This is the book out there for A.P. European History and it is a detailed piece of literature. Going from the beginning of man himself up to recent times, this book has it all for European history. The only reason I give this four stars is that the book is a bit hard to get through at times. I guess most A.P books are like this but it seems that you get bored reading after only a few pages. However, this is the book you want if you're going to take European History, or want an extensive hisory of Europe. Happy buying.

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.

It's a good textbook and it's usually easy to make sense of the events, but on more than one occasion, the author assumes you remember some detail from a previous chapter where it wasn't stressed, and therefore dives right into a new explanation without first reminding the reader of this topic. I also find that McKay is somewhat unclear in his analysis of the causes of a particular event. He shifts around without ever establishing a main cause: something that can be very annoying when you see the question, "what was the main cause of..." on the test. In addition, the author has a great talent for dragging and extending his points long after he's finished explaining them, and then covering other equally important topics in two sentences. Well, I guess that's all concerning the style this book is written in. If you're reading this book to study for the AP exam, there's probably not that much wrong with it, if of course, you can focus solely on the factual parts.

The Study Guide accompanies the textbook 'A History of Western Society, Vol. 2). If you are reading the same textbook (and in many cases, even if you are not), the study guide is very useful. Each chapter begins with an outline of the corresponding book chapter. The study guide also provides 20 multiple choice questions for every chapter, which is an excellent but brief review for class tests and the AP exam itself. The study guide also contains key terms and important people in the chapter to remember and space to jot notes for those terms and people. It is an excellent way to review for the AP exam and simplify the book chapter. I will definitely recommend it.

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!

This book packs extensive information on its small-printed pages. AP European history is made so much simpler with this textbook. An informative book with a long time period, from the Mesopotamians to "The New Millenium," McKay, Hill, and Buckler did an exceptional job conveying many events. It covers many topics from different viewpoints and perspectives. It has an appropriate ratio of pages per importance. The actual physical proportions of the book are very agreeable. The cover is red and recognizable, and the weight is proportionate to its size. The page layout is straightforward and nice to read because long columns of text are often broken by important pieces of artwork or items of historical significance. This is a superb book that covers just about everything!

On time, as described, even in better conditions than expected. Smooth transaction. Recommended.

This is a very good Western Civilization textbook. I use it in my own Western Civilization survey course, and my students have generally responded very well to it. My main objection is the high cost, but that is a problem common to all survey texts. It provides a good base narrative and plenty of detail. Is it perfect? No, but no textbook will ever be exactly what the instructor or students want. I think it and the Kishlansky text are the two best out there right now. This book is indeed not the Cliff note version of history, nor should it be. If something like Cliff notes is the key to passing the AP history exam, I would suggest that the AP history exam is a poor measure of one's mastery of European history.