The Illustrated History of the World: Volume 6: The Making of the European Age

This book is the sixth volume in the wonderful Illustrated History of the World Series. Focusing exclusively on Europe, this volume covers the evolution of Western culture from 1500 to just before the American Revolution. Along the way, the reader is treated to many colorful maps and pictures, and interesting sidebars.As with the other books in this series, this one is high quality, with the pictures being even more interesting than those in the earlier books. If you are interested in a book that quickly and concisely covers the development of modern Western society, then I highly recommend this book to you.

The Making of the European Age is volume six of a ten volume series called The Illustrated History of the World. The first volume covered the origins of the human race through the first civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. The second volume in the series reviewed the early cultures of India and China and then moved on to discuss Greek civilization. The third volume covered the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, from 800 BCE to 600 CE. The fourth volume surveyed the rise of Islam, the Arab empires, the decline of the Byzantine Empire, and the beginnings of modern Europe. The fifth volume offered a first look at Japanese, African, and American cultures and also brings the stories of India, China, and Europe up to the 18th century. This sixth volume takes a closer look at European history. It covers the forces that formed the modern face of Europe and takes a detailed look at colonialism's effects on the whole world.This is a book filled with beautiful color illustrations. Every page has at least one and most are photographs of artifacts, art works, or scenes. The text is well written and emphasizes brief summaries rather than scholarly examination. This makes it a good basic introduction and outline, but may be less useful to someone who wants to look at these subjects in greater depth. The lack of any bibliography of further readings is also a drawback for those wanting to seek more information. A two-page time chart of the period helps to put events in perspective. The chapter contents are confusingly placed at the end of the book, but they are well done and helpful for getting an overview of the author's approach. A two page listing of all the books in the series with their section and chapter titles helps to put the material into the broader view of all world history.A chapter on Authority and its Challengers talks about the evolving power of kings and popes. It goes on to describe the Protestant Reformation and the Counter-Reformation.The chapter ends with a discussion on consolidation of state power and civil unrest. Another chapter is devoted to the new great powers of Europe: France, the Habsburgs, Russia, and Prussia. Then the second half of the book tells the tale of imperialism and colonialism. The struggles between the colonial powers of Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and Great Britain are described. The formation of the English empire through naval success and the effects of colonialism on both Europe and the colonial countries ends this volume. All in all this is a great brief introduction to modern European history and the colonial period in world history. Although the emphasis is decidedly European, the coverage is global.The type face is large and the lines are amply spaced. Couple this with the copious illustrations and the book is actually a very quick read for its size and length. It is a few steps above the approach of Dorling Kindersley books that are predominately illustrations with supporting text. With Roberts, the t