Western Civilization: Volume II: Since 1550 [Paperback]

Jackson J. Spielvogel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534568378 | ISBN-13: 978-0534568375 | Publication Date: August 25, 1999 | Edition: 4th

There are many reasons why this is the number one selling Western Civilization text in the country. The clear, single-author narrative by Jackson Spielvogel presents history in an appealing and accessible manner. This text truly tells a story that students will understand. WESTERN CIVILIZATION strikes a true balance and provides a synthesis of political, economic, social, religious, military, cultural, and intellectual history. This balance gives students a solid foundation for further study in history. Chapter 29, The Contemporary Western World Since 1970 is a particularly good illustration of the text's balance. The book's documents and maps are useful and superb.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The faculty who adopted Spielvogel ... did so because the text read clearly and told a coherent story of historical change and development. Students comment that the text is well written, clearly organized, and interesting. Chapter titles and major headings mark chronological and thematic connections but place greatest emphasis on the conceptual development. ... National histories are mentioned but do not dominate; and art, literature, and music are not ignored. ... The special features are one of the greatest strengths of Spielvogel."

"The chronologies, timelines, and boxed documents all add greatly to the overall quality of the text. My students would be lost without them. ... I like this text and expect to continue to use it for the next several years."

"The Spielvogel text does a good job of communicating with students. The vocabulary ... is not too difficult, and the literary style is almost conversational."

"Dr. Spielvogel’s lucid prose, apt illustrations, and excellent maps make his a text for which I find it difficult to imagine finding a close rival. ... The coherence resulting from its being a single-author text is valuable in a general education course. ... It is a very impressive textbook and the author and publisher alike ought to take great pride in their work. ... I would not only consider adopting Jackson J. Spielvogel’s WESTERN CIVILIZATION text, but would, furthermore, actively lobby for its adoption for use at our university. A wealth of information in keeping with the scholarship at our disposal is presented in an appealing format. Never sacrificing well-written content, the text appeals to a generation reared on media in living color." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Jackson J. Spielvogel is associate professor Emeritus of history at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, where he specialized in Reformation history under Harold J. Grimm. His articles and reviews have appeared in journals such as "Moreana," "Journal of General Education," "Catholic Historical Review," "Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte," and "American Historical Review." He also has contributed chapters or articles to "The Social History of Reformation," THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE: A DICTIONARY HANDBOOK, "Simon Wiesenthal Center Annual of Holocaust Studies," and "Utopian Studies." His work has been supported by fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation and the Foundation for Reformation Research. At Penn State, he helped inaugurate the Western civilization course, as well as a popular course on Nazi Germany. His book HITLER AND NAZI GERMANY was published in 1987 (Fourth Edition, 2001). He is the author of WESTERN CIVILIZATION, first published in 1991 (Seventh Edition, 2009). He is the co-author (with William Duiker) of WORLD HISTORY, first published in January 1994 (Sixth Edition, 2010). Professor Spielvogel has won five major university-wide teaching awards. During the year 1988-1989, he held the Penn State Teaching Fellowship, the university's most prestigious teaching award. In 1996, he won the Dean Arthur Ray Warnock Award for Outstanding Faculty member, and in 2000 received the Schreyer Honors College Excellence in Teaching Award. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Pub Co; 4th edition (August 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534568378
• ISBN-13: 978-0534568375
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jackson J. Spielvogel is associate professor emeritus of history at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. in 2005. He is the co-author (with William Duiker) of WORLD HISTORY, first published in January 1994 (Sixth Edition, 2010).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must If You Take AP European History, December 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Study Guide for Western Civilization, Vol. 2: Since 1500 (Paperback)

This book is one of the best 30 dollars that I have ever spent. It is full of chapter outlines, timeslines, multiple choice, matching, and fill-in-the-blank review questions. Also has chronology tests and primary source analysis questions. The book follows Spielvogel's Western Civilization, and complements it perfectly. Many of the questions that I have seen on the tests at school are very similar to those in this book. This is THE BEST review tool for AP Euro history!

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit too much info for Intro to Western Civ, sadly, October 12, 2000

By 

Melanchthon "melanchthon" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Western Civilization: Volume II: Since 1550 (Paperback)

I am not joking. I wish it were realistic to use this textbook in an intro to western civ class for students with no previous knowledge, but it's too complicated. It's also hard to lecture with it as it jumps around between national histories (keep having to say, "when last we left English history...". I would like to use a text like this one but am convinced that it is simply too much for our average students.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for CLEP resource, January 17, 2006

By 

Tom Edson (TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Western Civilization: Volume II: Since 1500 (with InfoTrac) (Paperback)

Got this book as well as Volume I and used them as my resources for taking the Western Civ I and II CLEPS. Perfect for the job, and helped me get a very good grade, highly recommend for anyone looking to use for that purpose.