Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks

The first chapter on the development of humans was the best perhaps because it was the most familiar. Good worldwide comparison of cultural development. The author made extraordinary efforts to define the roles of women and lower classes in culture.

One of the most spectacular books I've ever been assigned for school. Great overview of subjects pertaining to women and gender in . . . early modern Europe! Really though, well worth the read and includes such an extensive bibliography that if I read only books referenced in this one, I'd probably be busy for the rest of my life. I'm going to buy my own copy. Just superb.

First, note that this textbook is published in several different versions. The publisher states: Volume 1 includes chapters 1-16. Volume 2 includes chapters 16-33. The Combined Volume includes all chapters. If you want the complete world history, you need either both volumes 1 and 2 or the Combined Volume.

I haven't read the entire textbook, but it appears suitable for my needs. It has been almost a decade since I earned a 5 on the AP World History exam, and I haven't needed to study history show more since that time. (My graduate and undergraduate degrees were not in history, and I didn't need any electives). I wanted a book to refresh my knowledge of world history. I considered a variety of textbooks, and selected A History of World Societies. The college board lists this text among its recommended books for AP World History courses, meaning that it is a college level textbook which aligns with the goals of the AP course. The text itself is written in a verbose prose and, unlike many textbooks, does not limit itself to simplistic vocabulary. There are numerous images and charts which illustrate historical concepts, and each chapter contains a section dedicated to primary sources. show less

One of the more enjoyable history text books I have ever read! Very understandable and well organized.