Customer Reviews

The Western Heritage: Since 1300, Eighth Edition

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is the easiest to understand and has the greatest amount of information. It helped me get a four on the AP european history test and helped many of my friends get fives. After using this, all other history books seem to be unorganized and useless. Kagan is a genius, just like Mr. Nitz

Within my AP Euro class we affectionately referred to this book as Kagan (the first listed author, as compared to McKay our other textbook). I must say the opposite of another review talking comparing this textbook to Bailey's The American Pageant. The concensus I have found now that my grade is studying American is a nostalgia for Kagan as we find Baily to be pretensiously written. Kagan was filledwith memorable yet not onoxious writing. The sort of high quality writing that when you answered a question in class your answer would automatically use the same used as in the textbook without your notice.

Up until now, I have been completely infatuated in anything European and anything to do with history. I then naturally enrolled myself in the A.P. Euro. Hist. course at my school. I must say that I have never read a textbook more boring and less comprehensive than this, and I most definitely feel that it is wearing away at my deep-founded love for history. It explores concepts at an extremely vague level, almost to the point where it makes the reader (or at least me) want to take it out and burn it. I have asked my teacher if I may use an older textbook called "The History of the Modern World", which, despite its advanced age and total lack of pictures (I love my pictures), I find so much more interesting and far, far, far more comprehensive than "The Western Heritage" could ever be. Compare reading this book to spending and hour and a half each night watching and studying "Mr. Roger's Neighbourhood", and you'd understand what I mean by "boring". My best advice would be to drink large amounts of caffeine before attempting to read this book.

Although the text tends to skip around in regards to dates (one paragraph is on the 1300s, then the next section is back to the 1200s) it is overall a good tool for the European history scholar.

I am in the process of takng AP European History. I am a junior in high school. I love this book. It is deeply informative, and although some sections are a little wordy, it is an excellant resource. With plenty of source documents, pictures, and even information about diets, this book does an excellant job of giving you a complete look into the past. I'm hoping and praying I'll pass the AP test!

I took AP Euro as a Sophmore. This book was a major factor in me getting a 5 on the test. Its dull a times but with the right teacher this book will do you woneders on the AP test in May. Im takin AP Us now and my book is anecdotal and written in a narrative style. thus its almost impossible to take notes in. This book separated into chapters, some of which pertain to social themes of that particular time, otheres to political and economic. In short if you are looking to get 3 or above on the AP Euro test, this is the book for you.

When I started reading this book (my son was struggling with his AP European history course) I felt like I was reading under water without glasses.

Since I received a 5 on AP European history in the dark ages of AP courses, have a doctorate, have taught in middle school and am currently doing post-graduate work in ancient historical documents, I thought a European History AP course book ought to be pretty straightforward.

Wrong.

The description in the review "Need an interpreter as well as the caffeine" is accurate and apt. The authors appear to purposely use lengthy words and expressions when simple ones would communicate more clearly. The writing is pretentious and disjointed. The authors focus on detailed data rather than the significance of the data, or patterns and themes. Themes are there, but get lost in the details, rather than being the focus of thinking (an example from today's homework: p. 325, in a 38 word sentence, "Plotinus, Proclus, Porphyry, and Dionysius the Areopagite" are listed as Neoplatonists, but Neoplatonism is never defined, nor how it relates to the discussion). The density of names and dates is amazing, such that the book reads like a 700 page encyclopedia entry.

On the positive side, there are nice pictures of artwork, maps, and excerpts from documents from the time-periods being discussed.

This book looks like something that would impress people who are purchasing a textbook for a school: Along with the good-looking layout, glancing at individual paragraphs makes you think the writers must know what they're talking about. After all, they have sophisticated vocabulary and the amount of data they include is amazing.

I give the book only one star as it makes history uninteresting and inaccessible - turning it into a nightmare of facts rather than the fascinating story of humanity that it is. The authors might have done better (for communication, learning and interest) to just include the primary documents in various languages and give the kids dictionaries.

I have used this text for six years with my AP Euro students and they have done well. It has just the right amount of social history, political, economic, etc... to prepare a student for the AP Exam. Students generally like Kagan's writing style, but we do joke about his occasional use of archaic or obscure words. However, that seems to generate interest. Another good feature of this text is the excellent accompanying website.

I can't say that I'm a history lover, but this book defintiely kept me interested. (Interested enough that I tested out of my first two semesters of European History!)

This product is very well written. I am a junior in High School studying for AP European History. It's not very hard to read and does a great job at being concise and interesting.