The History of the World 6th Edition

by J. M. Roberts (Author), O. A. Westad (Author)

43 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0199936762

ISBN-10: 0199936765

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J.M. Roberts's renowned History of the World is widely considered the finest available one-volume survey of the major events, developments, and personalities of the known past, offering generations of readers a tour of the vast landscape of human history.

In this new edition, Bancroft Prize-winning historian Odd Arne Westad has completely revised this landmark work to bring the narrative up to the twenty-first century, including the 9/11 attacks and the wars in the Middle East. Westad utilizes the remarkable gains in scholarship in recent decades to enhance the book's coverage of early human life and vastly improve the treatment of India and China, Central Eurasia, early Islam, and the late Byzantine Empire, as well as the history of science, technology, and economics. The result is a truly remarkable work of compression and synthesis, sweeping through thousands of years of history, weaving the stories of empires, art, religion, economics, and science into a lucid and engaging narrative. Ranging from the early hominids and the emergence of Mesopotamian civilizations and ancient Egypt, the book illuminates such topics as the Roman Empire, the explosive arrival of Islam, the rise and fall of samurai rule in Japan, the medieval kingdoms of sub-Saharan Africa, the Mongol conquests, and the early modern expansion of Europe across the globe; also covered are the struggle for American independence, the French Revolution, the colonial empires, Japan's startling modernization, and the World Wars.

With over 90 informative maps, The History of the World remains the finest, most readable survey in print.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Acclaim for earlier editions

"A stupendous achievement...the unrivalled world history of our day." --A.J.P. Taylor, The Observer

"Intelligently organized, insightful, and balanced...a fine addition to any library." --The Christian Science Monitor

"It is greatly to John Roberts's credit that after a generation on the Oxford tutorial treadmill he can write so lively and so continuously interesting a book."--The Economist

"Roberts writes well, with style and verve and wit."--Library Journal

"It is always something of an amazement that anyone would be courageous enough to attempt such a work--and in fewer than 1,000 pages--but Roberts clearly succeeds with a steady, clear-headed style that carries the reader along through the centuries."--Chicago Tribune

"Epic yet readable, perfect for those who find History of the Universe too daunting to crack."--The Philadelphia Inquirer

About the Author

J. M. Roberts CBE died in 2003. He was Warden at Merton College, Oxford University, until his retirement and is widely considered one of the leading historians of his era. He is also renowned as the author and presenter of the BBC TV series The Triumph of the West (1985).

Odd Arne Westad is Professor of International History at the London School of Economics. He has published fifteen books on modern and contemporary international history, among them The Global Cold War, which won the Bancroft Prize, and Decisive Encounters, a standard history of the Chinese civil war. He is general editor of the forthcoming three-volume Cambridge History of the Cold War.

Product details

Hardcover: 1280 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 6 edition (May 9, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0199936765
ISBN-13: 978-0199936762
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 2.5 x 6.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 43 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #803 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History
- #1356 in Books > History > Europe
- #3329 in Books > History > World

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An up to date and terrific historic narrative

November 13, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

If you have an innate curiosity for where our (mainly western) civilization comes from than this book is for you. However when speaking about as broad a topic as the history of THE WORLD you are necessarily going to have significant gaps in your analysis. JM roberts is open about his limitations and narrows the scope to events which played a major part in pushing humanity from one movement to another. I began reading his 1976 edition a while back in school, and am very pleased with this updated version which includes a much more thorough analysis of the prehistoric period using up to date findings and techniques. He also expands on the history of the Middle East and Asia, shedding a much greater light on their influences in history. This book serves at its best, as a terrific baseline for covering the main historical topics which will give the casual reader a great foundation in world events and the more dedicated historian a great source of topics to dig into using other more in-depth sources. A must have for every home library!

15 people found this helpful

Comment

I thoroughly enjoy every word I read in my short sessions

March 13, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I have one of the original copies. The type is so small, I could not read more than several pages at a sitting. I ordered a c copy edited by Westad, hoping it would be in bigger type. I do not think it is; however, I thoroughly enjoy every word I read in my short sessions. It is a fabulous book. The author's research and knowledge cannot be faulted. Every student in high school or college should read this wondrous book. Readers will learn the good and bad history of the world in the authors' perfect prose.

3 people found this helpful

Comment

Matthew B. Moore

A Preliminary Warning

January 14, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book contains no citations, bibliography, footnotes, or end notes. In other words, no sources are cited. I found this extremely odd, especially for a work written by two academics.

Since I am not a professional academic, I rarely research the works cited; but I at least like to have the option. If an author makes a disputable claim, then it is nice to be referred to another work in which this claim is defended so that one can further investigate the matter if one chooses to do so. Another benefit of citing sources is that readers can be referred to works which cover subjects in greater detail than the present work is capable of doing; a single volume history of the world necessarily has to summarize almost everything, so it would have been nice if the authors had referred readers to good works about subjects covered in a bibliography.

I have only read the first four chapters of the book so far. Those four chapters are good. My purpose for writing this review is simply to warn future readers who value the citation of works consulted by the authors that this book is altogether lacking in that respect.

22 people found this helpful

Comment

A History Buff's Delight

June 18, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Let me begin by saying what this book, The History of the World, is not. It is not a chronological compilation of the who, what, when, and where of history. Nor is it a series of engaging glimpses of events and stories collected from world history. If it were I would have found it far less enjoyable. Rather this book addresses the what and to some degree the why of human history - from the earliest hominids into the Arab Spring of our own time.

Roberts and Westad have provided well grounded observations for the major events in human history - especially the central transformations. Some examples of these observations: " The most striking fact of China's history is that it has gone on for so long. For 3500 years there has been a Chinese people using a Chinese language...". From the chapter titled - Europe's Assault on the World: " There was a major change in world history after 1500 and it was quite without precedent. Never before had one culture spread over the entire globe". From the chapter titled - Our Own Time: " It is therefore likely that the contradiction between economic growth and abject poverty will remain the key issue in Latin America's development for years to come."

As Westad mentions in his preface to this edition: "It is often said, that history is not what it used to be". As time progresses we gather additional information from anthropology, genetics, linguistics, archaeology as well as other historical perspectives that refine our understanding. Wasn't it only two decades ago that we believed Neanderthals and Homo sapiens could not interbreed?

Bottom line: For the person who enjoys reading and understanding history, this very current `1200 page overview' of the History of the World - published this year by two renowned historians is quite a find.

96 people found this helpful

Comment

History the way schools should should teach it.

October 25, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Very likely the best total history book I have ever owned. Interesting how history makes so much more sense when you understand the whys and the whens, instead of just throwing a bunch of historical facts at a person.

2 people found this helpful

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This tome is an amazing reference for any history buff

August 4, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This tome is an amazing reference for any history buff. Even more importantly, somehow I was able to get this brand new (still wrapped in plastic) for $9, when it retails for $45. Highly satisfied, to say the least.

2 people found this helpful

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March 19, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A must read for everyone from teens to adults!

Comment

A remarkable work

February 26, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Overall excellent summary of the world history.

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