World History in Documents: A Comparative Reader - Hardcover

9780814781067: World History in Documents: A Comparative Reader

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814781063 ISBN 13: 9780814781067

Publisher: New York University Press, 1998

From Hammurabi to Hitler, the Peloponnesian War to Peronism, and Magna Carta to Octavia Paz's Mexico, this text combines original sources on significant topics of world history with the challenge of comparative analysis. With an emphasis on the use of primary materials, the book presents historical documents from the major regions of the world with the aim of helping readers to deal recurrently with topics from all continents. The scope of human activity covered encompasses politics, culture, gender, labour, migration and social structure. Substantial introductions set the stage for the five major time periods, and for the subject of each chapter. Questions guide student reading and can form the basis for classroom discussion. Throughout the book, comparative topics are highlighted to enable students to compare and contrast different societies around a common topic.

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Review

"Given the enduring fascination of the American Revolution, this fine biography of Thomas Hutchinson should find a wide and appreciative audience. Historian Stephen Walmsely's persuasive study of the loyalist governor of Massachusetts Bay portrays an honorable but unimaginative official who remains true to his aristocratic conception of duty but helpless to arrest the forces wrenching his native land away from Crown rule. Putting a human face on an epic conflict, Walmsley finds hutchinson's radical opponents motivated less by ideas and principles than by ambition, greed, and personal animus. Indeed, Walmsley's graphic description of the mob violence, deployed by the patriots to intimidate Hutchinson and subvert the rule of law, will leave readers pondering who were the villains and who the heroes in this superb reconsideration of the nation's origins."-Allen Matusow, Rice University "Usefully emphasizes the economic and personal influences on the politics of Massachusetts." -"Religious Studies Review", "A readable and tightly argued political and social biography that provides numerous insights into Massachusetts' history on the eve of the revolution." -"Historical Journal of Massachusetts", "A candid and readable biography . . . [Walmsley] gives a vivid account of the descent of a controversial and sometimes misunderstood figure of the period." -"Choice", "A significant addition. Hutchinson definitely needed a more complete treatment than he heretofore had received and Walmsley has neatly provided it. A genuine pleasure to read."-Charles P. Neimeyer, author of "America Goes to War: A Social History of the Continental Army"

About the Author

Peter N. Stearns is Provost and University Professor at George Mason University. Since 1967, he has served as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Social History. His numerous books include World History in Documents; American Behavioral History; and Anxious Parents.

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