The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 4: The Modern Age: From Victoria's Empire to the End of the USSR (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Summer had come to England..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Discover the marvelous stories of the world's modern nations with the newest volume of this read-aloud series.

Where was the Crystal Palace? Who was the Sick Man of Europe? And how did cow fat start a revolution?

Now more than ever, other countries and customs affect our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the people who live all around the world. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of modern nations all around the world. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, the final volume of the popular Story of the World series weaves world history into a storybook format, covering major historical events in the years 1850-2000. From the Middle East and China to Africa and the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in the last century and a half. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes the stories of each continent and people group.

About the Author

Susan Wise Bauer teaches at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. She is the author of The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had and the co-author of the best-selling The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home.

Product Details

• Paperback: 503 pages
• Publisher: Peace Hill Press; Reprint edition (June 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972860339
• ISBN-13: 978-0972860338
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,588 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another good volume, sorry that it is the last, June 9, 2005

By	Henry Cate III (CA. United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My family has greatly enjoyed the first three volumes of "The Story of the World" series. Our daughters have listened to the "Story of the World" CDs again and again. My oldest daughter on her own will pick up the first three books to read. So when Peace Hill Press sent out an email saying a few advanced copies were available, I quickly ordered a copy. When it arrived I had to take turns with my oldest daughter as we both wanted to read it.

In many ways this is a good conclusion to the series. It is a bigger book than the previous ones. Susan Wise Bauer says in the forward that Story of the World Volume 1 was written for children in grades 1 to 4, volume 2 was written for children in grades 2 to 5, volume 3 was written for children in grades 3 to 6, and volume 4 was targeted at children in grades 4 to 8. So this last book is written for a much higher level than the first book.

Be warned, in many ways this is a sad book, it focuses mainly on the wars, revolutions, and civil strife over the last 150 years. This is probably its biggest weakness. The book makes little mention of positive things that have happened over the last 150 years. Most of the discussions of changes in technology, business, or other areas of life have to do with how the changes affected war.

It was sad to see some basic patterns. Again and again some leader, or group of leaders, would try to gain power or expand power, there would be a lot of fighting, many people would die, and often things wouldn't fundamentally change.

The book is very comprehensive. It covers every part of the world. I learned a lot about South America and Africa. I had not realized that it was only in the 1870s that Europe carved up Africa.

This is a good conclusion to the series. It is well written. It was hard to put down. If you have read the first three volumes then you should buy this book. If not, you might want to start with the first volume.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars and now for something completely different..., October 3, 2005

By	Karen J. Morton (Burnsville, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 4: The Modern Age: From Victoria's Empire to the End of the USSR (Hardcover)

To be honest we are only ten chapters in to this volume (having read the previous three volumes), but this volume seems very choppy and disconnected. She does put a disclaimer at the beginning of the book stating the older age (fourth grade to eighth grade) of her intended audience, however the "storytelling" style of the previous volumes seems to be missing; that, in addition to the seemingly unrelated topics in each chapter make this book a much more difficult read, and certainly a more difficult "follow." We are hoping that the Activity Guide will make it more cohesive, however, it has not yet been released, which is very frustrating. Not giving up yet, however, as this has been a very good series overall.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this book to everyone 10 and up, July 23, 2005

By	K. Arbuckle "Kate" (Idaho) - See all my reviews

I would say all ages, but I think it is several pages too long for a reader much younger than ten unless they are a gifted reader. A parent or caregiver could easily read it aloud for younger children. I really appreciate the author's vision in recognizing the need for unbiased, classic books that simply try to tell history rather than interpret it. In today's global environment, it is important for people to know a little of the history from around the world, and this author makes it more enjoyable than most of our carbon-copy textbooks that we all had in school. She tells history as a story, which is perfect because that is exactly what history is-the story of how people have lived and what they have accomplished.