Worlds of History, Volume 1

Volume I

1. Prehistory and the Origins of Patriarchy: Gathering, Agricultural, and Urban Societies, 40,-1 B.C.E.

2. The Urban Revolution and "Civilization": Ancient City Societies in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Peru, 3500-1 B.C.E.

3. Identity in Caste and Territorial Societies: Greece and India, 1-300 B.C.E.

4. Empire and Government: China and Rome, 300 B.C.E.–300 C.E.

5. Gender, Sex, and Love in Classical Societies: India, China, and the Mediterranean, 500 B.C.E.–700 C.E.

6. From Tribal to Universal Religion: Hindu-Buddhist and Judeo-Christian Traditions, 1 B.C.E.–100 C.E.

7. The Spread of Universal Religions: Afro-Eurasia, 100–1300 C.E.

8. Migrations, Trade and Travel: The Movement of People, Goods, and Ideas in Eurasia, Africa, and the Pacific, 3 B.C.E–1354 C.E.

9. Love, Sex, and Marriage: Medieval Europe and Asia, 400–1400

10. Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Encounters: Afro-Eurasia, 1-1300 C.E.

11. Raiders of Steppe and Sea: Vikings and Mongols, Eurasia and the Atlantic, 900–1350

12. The Black Death: Afro-Eurasia, 1346–1350

13. The Smell of the Past: The Long Past

14. Environment, Culture, and Technology: Europe, Asia, and Oceania, 500–1500

New primary and secondary documents – over 20% in each volume - offer new perspectives, topics, and a broader geographical coverage.
New visuals include three statues from Mesopotamia, 2475-2300 B.C.E., a series of classical images of Persephone rising from the underworld in spring, an Egyptian Aphrodite/Venus, and a lingam with the face of Shiva.  Brand new primary sources include the bittersweet story of the lovesick Buddhist monk, Chosin; the haunting Pu Songling, The Lady Knight Errant; as well as the classic Christine de Pizan, The Book of the City of Ladies. An excerpt from E.M. Foster’s classic, Passage to India, is also a new addition, as well as a selection from R. K. Narayan’s Waiting for the Mahatma, Olive Schreiner’s Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland, René Maran’s Batouala, and Bui Hien’s Jealousy. New primary sources add a different dimension to an old story with the inclusion of an award-winning, newly translated Viking account that challenges clichés; Sojourner Truth confronts forces of slavery and racism; Abu Talib Khan reveals aspects of English technology in 1810; Nikolai Novikov telegrams Moscow in response to George Kennan; and Osama bin Laden responds to George W. Bush. Two new secondary sources explore the impact of Zheng He and Columbus: Mara Hvistendahl, Rebuilding a Treasure Ship and Edmund S. Morgan, Columbus’ Confusion About the New World. The last chapter on globalization adds two current and thought-provoking essays:  Justin Sandefur’s “Is the Elephant Graph Flattening out?” which highlights global convergence with the dramatic exception of the top one percent; and Neil Irwin’s “Globalization’s Backlash Is Here, at Just the Wrong Time” that adds a counterpoint.
 
Two entirely new chapters are sure to engage students.
New chapters – one in each volume - feature timely and interesting topics sure to engage students. Volume I includes a new chapter that explores The Smell of the Past (Chapter 13), and Volume II includes a new chapter on Climate Change and Global Warming (Chapter 27). The first springs from new historical research on the history of the senses. The second new chapter answers the question: what is the contemporary historical development that students need and want most to understand about climate change and global warming?
 
New Thinking Historically exercises in each volume help students build critical thinking skills.
New topics include, “Analyzing Cultural Differences,” and “Discovering and Representing the Invisible,” in Volume I; and “Using Literature in History,” and “Keeping the Individual in the Global,” in Volume II. These and the other Thinking Historically exercises focus on developing a specific analytical skill appropriate for the documents and themes in each chapter.