Cassell's chronology of world history : dates, events and ideas that made history /

The latest pedigree from the Cassell family of publications, this single volume chronicles in great detail regional events, ideas, and cultural developments paramount to the history of humankind. This sweeping chronology begins with a crucial anthropological view of human civilization in its embryonic stages and extends to the state of current affairs and global shifts of the 21st century. Also of note is the intentional shift away from the currently dominant progressive view of world history. This chronology's approach--refraining from positing itself as a grand narrative of universal history--indeed sets it apart from others. Spanning three millennia, Cassell's Chronology is divided into four broad sections with essays summarizing the rise and fall of empires and the impact of cultural ideas and technological advances, accompanied by 100 profiles of key world thinkers whose ideas have influenced posterity. This incredible resource is a must-have for public and academic libraries. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. P. M. Adams Nova Southeastern University

Constructing an inclusive chronology of world history across several thousand years is difficult at best, but Welsh historian Williams (Guilty Men: Conservative Decline and Fall 1992-97) succeeds on the whole. Starting with the earliest human fossils, discovered in Ethiopia, the book settles into a sequential listing of the leading events of world history through the early 21st century. The text is arranged into four major sections-"The Ancient and Medieval Worlds, 135,000 B.P.-1449," "The Early Modern World, 1450-1799," The Nineteenth Century World, 1800-1899," and "The Modern World, 1900-2004"-each of which is subdivided by continent and such categories as "Economy and Society," "Science and Technology," and "Arts and Humanities." Highlights assigned to particular years include significant occurrences and people, new music and literature, and discoveries and other data. Each section also includes essays on themes such as religious conflict, economic conditions, or political movements. In addition, biographical profiles that place selected major individuals in their historical contexts are scattered throughout. The book contains a helpful index but unfortunately no bibliography or endnotes, leaving us to speculate where the information came from. Bottom Line This affordable and browseable work is more wide-ranging than The Wilson Calendar of World History (edited by S.H. Steinberg and others). Recommended for public libraries and, with reservations, for undergraduate academic libraries.-Judith Klamm, Kansas City P.L., MO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.