World History
I think the key strength of the Duiker/Spielvogel text these days is its strong organization, a very helpful characteristic to students. Its pictures and timelines are quite helpful as well. The Duiker volume is very thorough, too … academics appreciate this far more than students ever do. … Again, Duiker and Spielvogel continue to provide a strong product year after year. Its hallmarks include superior organization and design."Why do we stick with D & S year after year? D & S has a good full narrative of historic events and key figures much of the time. … D & S is still … the best of the lot in this respect. D & S is written in a straightforward style, very accessible to our undergraduates. There is also a good balance of Western and non-Western material most of the time. The color prints and other art work are of good quality and illustrate cultures and periods effectively."Duiker/Spielvogel is concise, well-balanced, and includes an even treatment of many non-Western cultures. … This text's commitment to presenting world history in a truly global framework is its most singular quality."Duiker and Spielvogel have done a superlative job of balancing Western and non-Western history and intermixing political, economic, intellectual, and social history. Effective graphics and student learning features augment a well-written, polished text. … Perhaps the single best thing about this volume: it's global enough in focus, especially so regarding Asia, for all but the most idiosyncratic professor's tastes. Instructors who emphasize Western, non-Western, or a truly global model should find this text appropriate to their purposes."It seems pretty readable without being too simplistic. I also like the primary text inserts, those are nice and convenient. I use a separate reader, but these sub-sections are very accessible to the students.