Global History: Cultural Encounters from Antiquity to the Present (4 Volume Set) Book

This well-conceived new reference presents the historic changes that occurred following cross-cultural contact, including new alliances, religious beliefs, political beliefs, and cultural development of all kinds. Appropriate for undergraduate students as well as general readers, the four volumes divide the material chronologically and cover, respectively, antiquity, the expansion of religions and empires, the age of discovery and colonial expansion, and the contemporary world. Each volume contains its own timeline, glossary, and bibliography; and maps, bibliographies, and excerpts from primary documents are included with each chapter. A sampling of topics in the contemporary world volume: Asian religions and the New Age in the US, American empire in the Philippines, Tejano music, the Cold War, global human rights, and the AIDS pandemic. Other topics include Olmec influence in Mesoamerica, the Persian empire of Darius, barbarians in China, Buddhism in China, Islam in Spain, Chinese migration to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim, and the Russian empire and the civilizations of Asia and America. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-The set, which includes 80 topical articles, encompasses cultures and civilizations on every inhabited continent from 5000 B.C.E. to 2003. The articles provide background on the cultural exchanges and a discussion of their importance. Although prehistory is not covered, archaeological discoveries are mentioned. Each article includes a time line, a list of the "significant cross-cultural exchanges addressed," cross-references, and a bibliography. While some familiarity with world history will be necessary to understand most of the articles, these volumes will be good sources of information for reports. Primary-source documents are excerpted extensively. Each volume has a comprehensive index and an individual time line, a glossary, and an extensive and up-to-date bibliography. Uncluttered and easy-to-understand maps and many graphs, photographs, and reproductions enhance the set.-David Pauli, Hillsboro Public Library, OR Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.