A Brief History of the Western World, Volume II: Since 1300 (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)
This is the best one-volume survey of Western history that I know of. Unlike most such texts, it is truly written on the college level. It doesn't talk down to its readers, though it subtly gives them the background they need."I believe its most obvious special strength is its organization. The clear explanations of both political/diplomatic and cultural/intellectual developments woven into the narrative structure used makes the text readable and accessible for students."I think this book is very readable and well organized. It has many important organizational advantages. It attempts to take a balanced view of various cultural and religious issues. I am very impressed with the overall quality of the text book. I will recommend that the rest of the committee look at this as an alternative to the Perry book."The timelines are very appealing and strikingly laid out. The overviews at the beginning of each chapter are nicely presented and do a fine job of tying the chapter's themes together. The impact of technology and science is consistently well explained, and art and music are integrated nicely."This text is set apart from comparable competing texts by the sophistication of its narrative. Most comparable texts water down the content and simplify the vocabulary. This text presents a quality narrative that matches that of much longer texts.