Customer Reviews

Modern European History

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One word puts this book in summation: "Wow!" This book is simply terrific. It summarizes European History from the 1450s - 1990 in a way that makes you remember every single piece of information. In addition to helping me study for the AP Exam, I used this book for...
1) Research Papers
2) Class Exams
3) Research Projects
4) Curiosity (I found myself flipping through this book looking for something new)

In addition to this, it really highlights your class textbook well. I brought it to class one day, and within a week, three people told me they bought it and found it just as great. I have to say that this book helped me achieve a 5 on my AP European History exam.

Do yourself a huge favor and buy this book!

This last year I took the European History AP Exam. I bought many books including The Princeton Review, Baron's, and REA. The only things these books have to offer over MEH are sample tests. But, where MEH losses in tests it destroys the competition in terms of material. All the information you could possibly want is in here in a very organized fasion. If its on the test its gonna be in this book. I received a C and a B in my EHAP class. These grades would make you think I'd get a 4 at most, but during the last two weeks before the test all I did was read this book and ended up with a perfect 5. A must read for all "EHAP" students.

Pro's of Modern European History:
1.) Distinct Division of major events by chapters
2.) Timelines to start each chapter
3.) Major heading format (most common helpful in note taking)
4.) Provides a great overview of chronological history
5.) Provides political, social, philosophical history
6.) Excellent Research tool when writing
7.) Useful in lower level college World Civilization Courses
8.) Easy to read format
9.) Good Maps
10.) Generalized to cover most of all aspects of Modern Europe

Cons of Modern European History:
1.) Book references at end of each chapter are very old and hard to find, even in libraries
2.) Very general

Conclusion:
"This is a great book to have. Obviously the pros outweigh the cons by a mile. It doesn't matter wether you are a history fan or a phd historian, this book is helpful to the entire scope of history enthusiasts."

The student above who felt this review book was too LONG completely misses the point. One does not read through a book like this as a substitute for the textbook -- which is what I imagine this poor young student though he could do. One relies on it to clarify areas of confusion. As a good reference and review book to read either before a chapter or as review afterward, this is a genuinely excellent book.

First, it's a nice size. It's smaller (height and width) than most of the enormously giant-sized review books available so it's like a real book. And it's printed on real paper, not cheap newsprint like most of the AP review books are. Small enough that you can easily grab it off the shelf or carry it around with you. And, the page layout makes it easy to find things. Everything is treated in brief paragraphs with clear topic headings. Pages are brief so you move through it page-after-page very quickly. It really couldn't be easier to use.

As a history teacher, I look into this book from time to time to double-check an historical issue or event or to check up on correct chronology of events I can't quite recall. It saves a lot of time compared to paging through much longer, denser books.

As a review book, I imagine this would be very good to refresh a student's memory of lots of important (and, frankly, many less important!) events, people, and ideas. However, students who are looking for a book to replace their textbook will be disappointed as this book assumes you have some idea what is going on historically. You could read it alone and understand the history pretty well, but I doubt you'd be very confident without the analysis of the textbook which this does not have.

The one thing most lacking from books like this is overall themes and ideas. Most review books lack this so this is not so much a criticism as something to be aware of. History has patterns, themes, and MAJOR themes to be aware of (The rise of democracy, the clash of civilizations, the struggle for equality, impact of the Enlightenment, the impact of economic changes . . . and so on). If all you know are facts, events, and dates, you will be lost--but you already knew that!

This book assumes you are aware of these themes (See your textbook or your teacher if you aren't -- believe me, they are very important) and is designed simply to remind you of all that pesky information you might not have understood so well the first time. In that respect, this is a very fine book and clearly worth the money as one of the better European History review books.

Another caveat: It is NOT designed specifically to prepare you to "ace" the AP exam. It doesn't have the usual tips and tricks stuff that most review books have. It is designed for students who want to understand and remember the history, not for students that want quick shortcuts to faking out the exam. Of course, it goes without saying that students who understand the history tend to "ace" the exam -- without shortcuts and so-called "insider" information that isn't really very useful.

4 stars only because of lack of larger themes, but I'm a very tough grader!

I was in an AP class. I did not put my full effort into the AP Euro class and was scared right before the AP. Right about a month before the test I bought this book and read it all the way through. The day before the test I reviewed what I felt were the top 5 most important subjects (French Revolution, WWI, etc.) Needless to say, to my surprise I got a 5 on the test. An I truly would have to say that 85% of that grade came from reading this book.

I'm a great lover of history so I decided to take the AP Euro exam without having taken the course. I came across this book in the library and made it my SOLE AP Euro review book cause it looked interesting. And I easily got a 5. Even if you don't like history, this book will make it a piece of cake. It has everything--maps, dates, important events and plus it uses simple language so you won't get bored or confused. This book also goes fast--i only started studying 3 weeks before the exam with this book! Buy it now if you want to ace your class or test or just gain some incredibly interesting knowledge!!! :-)

I used this book in my European History AP class and found it to be a treasure trove of information. Easy to read, and not long winded like some history texts. The book itself is long but that is due to the immense about of European History that is needed to know for the AP test. I read this book over a period of time before the big test and easily scored a 4. Very helpful, I recommend.

This book is a great tool for studying European History. Viault has put this book in an outline form which makes it easy to brush up on key points. It is a great book but it does lack coverage of social history and is a little thin on the cold war.

This is the perfect resource for anyone looking for a thorough, yet concise, review book for a European history class. Although I did not sign up for the AP European History class at my school, my teacher recommended that I sign up to take the test. I did sign up, but due to a lack of self-studying, I felt that I was going to get a 1 or 2 on the exam in May. In April, I bought this book. I read it everyday (and everywhere) until the exam. (I even read the book during other classes!) By the time I took the exam, I felt I was adequately prepared for it. I managed to get a 3. There is no doubt in my mind that if I had used it over a longer period of time and read it without any distractions, I would have gotten a 5. I highly recommend this book to all European history students, AP or otherwise.

I just got my AP exam scores today for the 2005 examinations and I am proud to say that I got a 4 on the exam thanks to this book and the Princeton's Review Book. This book has a really good and easy to understand review for each of the topics tested on the AP exam and it really helps alot!