A Brief History of the Western World (with CD-ROM and Infotrac) [With CDROM and Infotrac]

"This clear, balanced book will help you understand the crucial political events, social and economic developments, ideas, and artistic creations that have helped to shape the Western world. So clear, so balanced! Thomas H. Greer and Gavin Lewis's A Brief History of the Western World will take you on a fascinating journey through Western civilization---a comprehensive view that gives you all the information you need in half the length of conventional survey texts. In addition, the Ninth Edition includes so much that is new: * An entirely new Prologue, "What Is Western Civilization?" that provides guidance on fundamental questions involved in the study of Western history * A greatly expanded map program that incorporates full-color, spot maps, and icons for maps that appear in interactive form on the Western Civilization Resource Center * An entirely new chapter devoted to events in recent history that helps you understand today's major political, economic, and cultural issues * Expanded map and figure captions that enrich the reader's experienced of the places and events of the past * A vivid, full-color design that enhances maps, timelines, and illustrations." "THIS IS THE BEST ONE-VOLUME SURVEY OF WESTERN HISTORY THAT I KNOW OF." ---Warren Treadgold, St. Louis University [from the book of the back cover]

If you're interrested in a nice synopsis about every important western historical figure and/or event, without too much depth, this is a great book. A perfect read for people wishing to expand their own vault of knowledge. Wonderful addition (in combination with Volume 1) to your home library. I purchased this book for a university course but kept it to finish. Perfect gift for history majors and a great introduction to many different facets of western history!

As any historian will agree, to write a "brief history of the Western world" is a daunting task, even for a stable of collaborators. Amazing, then, that Prof's Greer and Lewis display expertise even regarding the most mundane of subjects. Granted, from time to time, their focus on western Europe leads them to use words such as "church," "Christian," and "Europe" as if the west were all (as when they discuss the conflict between the Enlightenment view of human perfectability and the dogma of "the Church" by which they mean that of the Roman Catholic/Protestant offshoot of Christianity's main, Greek-speaking trunk), but it's a swell text despite such predictable failings. The prose is good, the p.c. trendiness is limited (Maya Angelou the only contemporary author on their timeline, e.g.), and the bases are covered.