Product Description

Global in scope, William McNeill's widely acclaimed one-volume history emphasizes the four Old World civilizations of the Middle East, India, China, and Europe, paying particular attention to their interaction across time as well as the impact on historical scholarship in light of the most recent archaeological discoveries. The engaging and informative narrative touches on all aspects of civilization, including geography, communication, and technological and artisitc developmetns, and provides extensive coverage of the modern era.

This new edition includes a thorought updated bibliographic essay and a new discussion of the most significant events in world history and civilization since 1976.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #586535 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 656 pages

Review
"A fine synthesis with clear maps and plates and an extraordinarily useful bibliographical guide."--Aran S. MacKinnon, State University of West Georgia

"Mc Neill's survey is a genuine world history that integrates traditional western civilization with an expansive global synthesis."--James A. Brown, Tougaloo College

Praise for previous editions

"He has a vision of the history of mankind as the unity that it always has been potentially and that it has become in fact in our time....He makes a complicated story lucid." --Arnold Toynbee

"This work reveals anew the breadth of vision and gift for synthesis that distinguished Professor McNeills The Rise of the West. He has a special talent for relating in meaningful ways the patterns of the great civilizations, their borrowings, their conflicts, and their contributions to global history."--Geoffrey Bruun

About the Author
William H. McNeill is at University of Chicago.

Customer Reviews

A Very Readable Survey
I've been trying to read a survey of World History for years, but found most of the commonly available titles too dry and slow to get trough. McNeill did an admirable job of combining the history of eastern and western civilizations chronologically, and I can say that it's a great place to start if you're looking for an overview. Of course, it's light on many subjects as is necessary due to its size, and yes it's somewhat dated. However, I don't think you'll find a more readable survey.

Not bad as a starter.
Organization of the book is good especially on the flow of history. However, many things are not clearly explained and kind of skip over it. For important events too shallow, not much detailed, but did cover lots of stuff so people can later google or wikipedia on the info or read others books. In short a good starter book.

A Waste of Money
Jumps all over the place. Author is condescending to readers. What a waste!