The work of 100 professional historians, this revised and updated reference book surveys the full story of mankind. Since the publication of the 3rd edition in 1989, every one of the atlas's 126 colour spreads has been reviewed in detail by a team of historians, and brought up to date to reflect the latest scholarship. Particular attention has been paid to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of new states across Eastern Europe. The growth of economic powerhouses in the Far East is also treated in detail, as are major themes of world importance, such as the North/South divide and the resurgence of the Muslim world. Four new spreads have been designed and 30 new maps have been added to this new edition. A major feature is the inclusion of 120 new colour illustrations. The cover has also been redesigned.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
First published to considerable acclaim in 1978 (revised editions followed in 1984 and 1989), this atlas contains 600 visually exciting maps, 300,000 words of text, and 128 double-page spreads on major themes in world history. This fourth edition is the most radically revised, according to the publisher. Thirty maps have been replaced, and another 29 have been substantially changed. All the drawings that appeared in the last edition have been replaced by photographs.
Parker, Lovett Professor of Military and Naval History at Yale, is the new editor, and there are more than 30 new contributors. Notable is the large number of new contributors for South and Southeast Asia. British spellings have been replaced with American ones, and gender-neutral words have been substituted for gender-specific ones.
Changes in both maps and text are numerous and incorporate recent historiography and archaeology. For example, the map of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica now includes recently discovered Mayan sites at Lamanai and Tipu. There is a new map on the Portuguese exploration of Africa. Perhaps the most notable new spread is one entitled "Europe from 1973," which describes the dramatic developments in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Maps illustrate the European Community and the fall of Communism. The last spread in the atlas, formerly "The World in the 1980s," is now "The World in the 1990s," with new maps illustrating such things as international trade in illicit drugs and ozone depletion.
A noticeable omission is a large-scale political map describing the breakup of the former Soviet Union. Also, a map illustrating the Persian Gulf War would have been useful. Nevertheless, virtually every aspect of this thoroughly revised work has been improved, from maps with more distinct colors to the introduction of photographs.
Retaining its reputation as the most useful historical atlas, the Hammond Times Atlas of World History is an essential purchase for most libraries. At $95 it is a bargain, only $10 more than the third edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The fifth edition has a different title,
By
This review is from: The Times Atlas of World History (Hammond Concise Atlas of World History) (Hardcover)
Note that the latest (1999, 5th) edition is called the "Hammond Atlas of World History," and is available at Amazon.com. There is no mention of "Time" anymore, causing possible confusion. It is superb.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best of many I looked at.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Times Atlas of World History (Hammond Concise Atlas of World History) (Hardcover)
I wouldn't rave forever like the dude from Providence about it. Some of the rivers are left unnamed on some of the maps as if they were not essentially formative during various times in history. With that caveat out of the way, I must have inspected 20 or 30 atlases seeking the most comprehensive historical atlas to help me through Gibbons' Decline and Fall... This is by far the best of the lot.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The key historical resource for every household,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Times Atlas of World History (Hammond Concise Atlas of World History) (Hardcover)
This book reveals history with an unusual magnetism by its ingenious use of graphic arts. It conveys exponentially greater amounts of information in a single page than even a whole normally written book can. With beautifully crafted, 3-D-appearing maps and inviting use of color, this atlas puts you in an astounding overview of world history not obtainable from normal history publications. I think this book is an absolute must for every household with growing children and a wonderful tool for adults, as well. It's also the penultimate jumping off point for anyone wishing to study history further. And, I must say, it's absolutely perfect for those who hate history! They won't hate it after seeing this book. To give you an indication of my reaction to this book, I bought it now because I'd seen it years ago in our public library at a time when I was out of money. I never forgot it. It has remained one of the priorities I swore I'd attend to as soon as I got back in the money and so, after waiting all those years, I've finally bought my own copy of it. Not many better ways to use that long-awaited money than getting a book like this. I am not a history expert so I cannot possibly have checked this book for historical content. But I don't think that's an issue with this book. I think you'll still know many times more about world history after you're done with this book than without it, even if historians found some text entry or ancient border to argue over. By the way, if my writing style sounds a bit commercial, I really am customer of amazon.com, not a plant by the publisher or something. It's just that I spent a number of years as a typesetter and so have picked up a writing style common to advertisements. That's what we typeset all day long! Sorry.
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