Roots of the Western Tradition: A Short History of the Ancient World [Paperback]

C. Warren Hollister (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0070296596 | ISBN-13: 978-0070296596 | Edition: 6

"Roots of the Western Tradition" is a brief chronological survey that covers the Ancient world in three parts: Prehistoric Europe and Ancient Near East; Ancient Greece; and Ancient Rome. Succinct enough to be used with supplements, the coverage is carefully balanced between narrative and interpretation, highlighting historians' varying viewpoints on certain issues. The scholarship has been updated throughout and there is increased coverage of both social and women's history. The edition includes four new biographies (for a total of 10).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

C. Warren Hollister was Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, received his BA from Harvard University and his MA and PhD from UCLA. A Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, the Royal Historical Society (London), the Medieval Academy of Ireland, the Australian National University, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and Merton College, Oxford, he was founder and past president of the Charles Homer Haskins Society and served as President of the Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies, the Medieval Association of the Pacific, the American Historical Association, Pacific Coast Branch, the North American Conference on British Studies, and was 1984 Centennial Program Chair of the American Historical Association, Chair of the University of California Press Editorial Board, and Chair of the national Development Committee for the College Board Advanced Placement Test in European History. Professor Hollister’s many books have run through more than thirty editions and have been translated into several languages. He has also written some fifty articles on medieval history. Professor Hollister has served on numerous editorial boards, including Albion, the American Historical Review, the Journal of British Studies, and the Journal of Mediaeval History. Among Professor Hollister’s other honors were the Centennial Lectureship of the University of Georgia, the 1987 Denis Bethell Memorial Lectureship of the Medieval Academy of Ireland (Dublin), the 1988 Wilkinson Memorial Lectureship of the University of Toronto, the 1990 Lansdowne Lectureship of the University of Victoria, the 1996 Wei Lun Visiting Professorship of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Triennial Book Prize of the Conference on British Studies, the E. Harris Harbison National Award for Distinguished Teaching (Princeton University), and the UC Santa Barbara Faculty Teaching Prize. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill College; 6 edition (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070296596
• ISBN-13: 978-0070296596
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,503,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well written 200+ page overview, May 11, 2005

By 

S. Jacobson (Portland OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Roots of the Western Tradition: A Short History of the Ancient World (Paperback)

This book is a survey of the main themes in ancient history. It is not, and obviously is not meant to be, a detailed history. It provides a good overview for the casual reader, and a basic foundation for those wanting to learn more. I disagree with the reviews that state the book is inaccurate or a waste of time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This review is of the 3rd edition, July 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Roots of the Western Tradition: Short History of the Ancient World (Paperback)

...The 3rd edition is a very, very good summary of the key contributions made to Western Civilization by the various ancient civilizations, with emphasis on the Greeks and Romans, but also covers the Mesopotamian, Egyption, and Persian civilizations.

This edition has 18 illustrations and 14 maps to augment the text, and I have found it very useful and informative, and recommend it to people as a good basic text. I also like the list of suggested additional readings.

All in all, a very good book. Perhaps the other, more recent editions have been altered too much. If so, look for this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harmoniously balanced summary and references to more detaile, June 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Roots of the Western Tradition: A Short History of the Ancient World (Paperback)

Creative attempt to overcome overwhelming students with too much information. In avoiding the encylopedic approach, Hollister offers the broad outlines of Ancient History and suggests the most authoritative sources for further study of Ancient World topics. This enables the student to pursue topics which are of further interest to him. It is important to know that the late Professor Hollister was not only an outstanding scholar, the foremost authority on the Norman Conquest but a very popular and entertaining lecturer. He had the ability to animate his lectures with wit, humour and in his course in the Middle Ages was known to chant monastic music of St. Gregory.