World History in Documents: A Comparative Reader

By Jacob Berman and Peter N. Stearns

Book Overview

At a time when the teaching of world history is undergoing profound change, Peter N. Stearns has collected a remarkably diverse and original set of documents which anticipate new directions in the field. World History in Documents combines original sources on key world history topics, covering a sweeping range of periods and societies, with the challenge of comparative analysis. With its emphasis on the utility of primary materials, the book presents historical documents from the major regions of the world and enables the reader to deal recurrently with topics from all continents. From Hammurabi to Hitler, the Peloponnesian War to Peronism, the Magna Carta to Octavia Paz's Mexico, Stearns covers the scope of human activity, encompassing politics, culture, gender, labor, migration, and social structure. Substantial introductions set the stage for the five major time periods as well as the subject of each chapter. Questions guide student reading and can form the basis for classroom discussion. Throughout, comparative topics are highlighted, enabling students to compare and contrast different societies around a common topic.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814781071
• ISBN13: 9780814781074
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: NYU Press
• Length: 473 Pages
• Weight: 1.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3" x 1.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Warning for college students

I ordered the correct version, but they sent me a different one. It was pointless to return it because I had already tried that with a different book, and they sent me the wrong one again. it has already caused problems with the class I’m taking. So it may be worth it to just get the expensive version off of Amazon.

Not what it was supposed to be.

Missing key documents, but may work if you have them already.

Excellent collection of primary sources

What can I say about a disgruntled young student who does not like history or his professor and takes that out on a really excellent book? Stearns has done a wonderful job in this volume of gathering some very good and interesting primary sources in world history. I particularly liked the documents about women's lives in various eras. The selections are thoughtful, the organization is effective, and it's not overwhelming as it's only a single volume. Very nice job, indeed, and worth considering as a supplementary reader for any world history course.