Civilization in the West, Volume a (to 1500)

This 2 volume series is a good accompany to any European history survey course. It gives a good general overview of historical data and lacks the detail that would be required for higher level course work. The author is opinionated at times which can allow for alternative perspectives which the student/reader may not possess.

Civilization in The West is a superb text. Written by an outstanding group of historians the book is highly readable and contains a wealth of information. The suggestions for additional reading at the end of each chapter are invaluable and list the key texts for any time period. Finally, the colorful illustrations and photographs brilliantly compliment the text. This book is a definite buy for anyone interested in a general guide to western civilization.

I enjoyed this text during my history class very much because it was so in depth. The hundreds of famous paintings alone make this book worthwhile, but it reads very much like a college text. Don't get me wrong -- I came to love history through taking this class, and the book was a large part of that. You must have a high level of literacy and some previous knowledge of history to read this book very easily. NO DETAILS ARE LEFT OUT!!! The book is fabulous and I would recommend it to any level anyways.

The book had lots of info and was easy to understand. It covered all of the most important aspects of western civilizations. Anyone who complains that it was hard to read is an ... I would consider myself smart but i am by no means a rocket scientist and i found this book easy to read and enjoyable. It provided lots of information about certain interesting aspects of different civilizations cultures that would appeal to anyone who whould sign up for a history course.

This book is everything a great history book should be. The authors go into the details of history and enhance the text with actual stories and excerpts from historical references, that makes one feel that they are there, in that point of time. Images the mind forms as a result, help you remember events, making it easier to put different historical periods in context. I highly recommend this book to any student or person interested in learning about our past and ourselves.