Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The First and Last Book to Read on the Rise of Modern Europe, November 19, 2001
The first edition of this classic was published in 1950, and in the most recent editions it remains the best single volume survey of the rise of modern Europe. Palmer is justly famous for his work on The Age of Democratic Revolutions and had a wonderful gift for synthesis and exposition. Palmer is a marvelous stylist who writes for the intelligent student or curious general reader, yet maintains a very high scholarly standard.Some reviewers have complained that this book is perhaps difficult, but I am hard pressed to see why. The book was originally written as a text to be used in the traditional introductory freshman survey course in Western Civilization at the top tier colleges and universities, where it has proved itself both approachable and thorough over 50 years. It provides a coherent, mainstream interpretation which gives the reader sufficient factual material and critical analysis to think intelligently about modern history, while alerting the interested reader to some of the major issues of historical interpretation. When I was a graduate student in European history some 30 years ago, A History of the Modern World was THE book that doctoral candidates were advised to reread at the end of their preparation for both written and oral exams, to make sure that after all of the specialized and deep work, they had a solid overall perspective and could fully integrate their knowledge into the larger framework of the development of modern Europe. There are very few books in any field so good that they could be recommended as both the first and last book one reads as a student of the topic. A History of the Modern World stands out among even that select group.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is THE text of Modern European History, January 28, 2006
It is difficult to add to what reviewers have already provided. I used this text when I was a classroom AP teacher for a number of reasons. Among those reasons was that while most K-12 textbooks are the product of a committee, (committee- a terrestrial life form having at least six legs and no brain.) this book is largely the work of the late Dr. Robert Roswell Palmer. It was written as if the author felt that the history of Modern Europe was not a collection of chapters but rather a story, a narrative to be read the way one reads a novel. There is a continuity to the writing and an elegance of prose that can only be achieved by a text like this. Dr. Palmer was a wonderful historian and a marvellously accessable teacher who took the time to answer letters personally on his old manual typewriter. His passing is lamented.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding overview of modern history, July 12, 2006
I am not exceptionally scholarly, although I would have to say that it takes some scholarly motivation to read over 1000 pages of dense historical writing in one's free time. Yet I found this book, which is often used as a textbook, very easy to read. It doesn't quite read like fiction as some lively historical accounts can, but that would be a difficult task given this broad a subject.
Palmer leaves very few questions unanswered. He adds a good amount of political commentary and speculation to keep it interesting and to show the relevance of events to today's world, but not too much that you feel he's biased in any way. He also gives short, informative bios on important individuals so that, even though he doesn't have time to delve deeply into any particular one, you get a feel for the personal motivations of all. His maps are fabulous, perhaps the best feature. They help to visualize the changes over time. Also, when he discusses territories he tends to explain them in terms of today. This is important because with the territories changing hands so often in history, it is difficult to conceptualize how these past kingdoms relate to the modern nations of Europe. He also is very clear in distinguishing between the natives and the conquering groups, including language differences. This is crucial to understand today, as nationalism movements flourish again after the breakup of the stabilizing and static bipolar international system (i.e. the breakup of the Soviet Union). Palmer's book is very good for this purpose.
I highly recommend it to anyone looking to brush up on their knowledge of history (who has some time on their hands). It's really an excellent book! I plan to use it as my history bible and reference it often. I will also use it as a jumping-off point for further reading. At the end of the book, Palmer includes a comprehensive, 91-page "suggestions for further reading" covering every topic he discusses for further reading/research. It is a goldmine of reading material!
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