Specifications

For each volume: Black-and-white photographs and illustrations. 32-page insert of full-color maps. Index. Bibliography. Cross-references. Chronology.

Summary

The Student's First Reference to World History

In today's world of globalization, there is a growing trend among historians and students alike to study the common challenges and experiences that unite the human past. Facts On File's seven-volume Encyclopedia of World History is a truly groundbreaking work and one of the first to offer a balanced presentation of human history for a global perspective on the past. A team of distinguished world history academics has brought together scores of specialists in writing signed entries based on the latest scholarship.

Based on the National Standards for World History

Influenced by the National Standards for World History, this comprehensive and authoritative set is rich in features to make the study of world history easier for students to understand. Arranged in six chronological eras that span prehistory to the present day, its chronological approach follows the way world history is taught and studied in the classroom. Each volume era begins with essays that address large themes—such as agriculture, science and technology, social and class relationships, trade and cultural exchanges, and warfare—allowing students to make connections and trace key global patterns over time. The final volume contains primary source documents and a master index for the set.

Key Features That Enhance the Set's Reference Value

• Thematic essays that help students make comparisons and connections across regions and time periods
• Primary source documents, carefully chosen to be representative of the six world eras
• Informative, cross-referenced entries
• A chronology in every volume that helps students place events in context
• More than 600 illustrations, including a 32-page insert of full-color maps in each volume designed to convey the importance of geography in world history
• Further reading sections that encourage additional research
• Individual volume indexes
• A comprehensive set index.

The Set Is Arranged in Six Chronological Eras

• Volume I: The Ancient World: Prehistoric Eras to 600 CE
• Volume II: The Expanding World: 600 CE to 1450
• Volume III: The First Global Age: 1450 to 1750
• Volume IV: Age of Revolution and Empire: 1750 to 1900
• Volume V: Crisis and Achievement: 1900 to 1950
• Volume VI: The Contemporary World: 1950 to the Present
• Volume VII: Primary Documents and Master Index.

About the Author(s)

Marsha E. Ackermann received a Ph.D. in American culture from the University of Michigan. She is the author of the award-winning book Cool Comfort: America's Romance with Air-Conditioning and has taught U.S. history and related topics at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Eastern Michigan University.

Michael J. Schroeder received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan and currently teaches at Eastern Michigan University. Author of the textbook The New Immigrants: Mexican Americans, he has published numerous articles on Latin American history.

Janice J. Terry received a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and is professor emeritus of Middle East history at Eastern Michigan University. Her latest book is U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East: The Role of Lobbies and Special Interest Groups. She is also a coauthor of the world history textbooks The 20th Century: A Brief Global History and World History.

Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and is professor emeritus of Chinese history at Eastern Michigan University. She is a coauthor of the world history textbooks The 20th Century: A Brief Global History and World History.

Mark F. Whitters received a Ph.D. in religion and history from The Catholic University of America and currently teaches at Eastern Michigan University. His publications include The Epistle of Second Baruch: A Study in Form and Message.

Reviews

"Recommended."—Choice

"...the photos and 32 maps scattered throughout the text add depth and interest."—Library Journal

“...an essential and core addition that is as praiseworthy for its ‘user friendly’ layout as it is for its breadth and comprehensive coverage of recorded history.”—Midwest Book Review

"...accessible to high school students...a useful resource..."—Reference & Research Book News

"...concise yet comprehensive...this set deserves a place on the shelves of every high school library."—VOYA

"...fascinating...a good addition to...reference collection[s]...This set of encyclopedias will be visited again and again by students of history and is well worth its price. Highly Recommended."—Library Media Connection

"...does an exemplary job of including non-Western cultures and history...an excellent choice..."—Booklist

Awards

"Best Reference Source, 2008"
- Library Journal