The author has written a very good history book which is the basis of many college history classes throughout nation. The use of maps, pictures, and charts is very good and reenforces the material quite well.

This rather large book is great for those taking the Advanced placement European history exam. It is clear and concise. Its content is rather wordy but it includes many topics in each subject. For example, in the Chapter of the Rennaissance, it shows what the men were doing and the women's role in that time period. It also adds details about major battles, important writers and artist of that time period. The Ap European Exam includes a lot of this imformation that will surely be found in this book. I liked the book because of its complete source of information pertaining to the AP european exam. If you want a great score on the exam this book is for you. The study guide made for this book is also a great outline and preview to each chapter and is very helpful in taking the test.

RE: A History of World Societies, Vol. B, by McKay, Hill, and Buckler.The following was taken directly from the pages of this text; chapter 14, page 460, last paragraph, left column:

'The average runner could cover about 50 leagues or 175 miles per day ' a remarkable feat of physical endurance, especially at high altitude ' but the larger the empire became, the greater the distances to be covered.'

I had always supposed that genuine scholars wrote textbooks, and that they were intended as works of non-fiction. Instead, this text is more akin to Paul Bunyan; it's a sort of South American version of American Folktales.

Upon reflection, I don't know whether the appropriate response is outrage at the ignorance of the authors, or amusement at the gullibility of the (what ' apparently sleeping?) editors. Is the ubiquitous filter of political correctness the only scrutiny to which textbooks today are subject?

In my view, this passage calls into question the reliability ' indeed, the credibility ' of the remaining information. If such fundamentally simple information as this is worthless, to what level of factual scrutiny were the socio/political ideas subject?

This extraordinarily well written book contains every essential fact with which we all need to be familiar. No other book on the market offers so much information at such a low price. Furthermore, the structure of the book facilitates reading and also makes it more interesting. Needless to say, many history books nowadays present biased accounts of historic facts (after all, it is a well known fact that winners write history books). This book, on the other hand, provides a relatively unbiased and balanced account of world history. I have read a number of history books but none of them is nearly as well written and well structured as this one. In my view, this book should be a part of every student's book collection. Highly recommended.

The book came in good cond.and on time!... Do business anytime..referred them to other classmates

Yeah, okay. So it deals with ALL of the history of Western society. So what? Here is a book so lacking in actual substance I would recommend only warding it away with burning torches. Would you study Thomas Hardy with only the Oxford English Dictionary and selected cliff notes? No. And neither should you study history with this. The earlier sections take make a brave attempt, but by the time they reach the 17th century the holes start to show. The writing is mind numbingly dull, the facts skip about like smoke particles, the maps are incomplete and the graphs are simplistic. I found myself bristling with rage at the ridiculously inaccurate depiction of the 1919-20 Paris Peace Treaties and the whole description of the 20s and 30s. I simply doubled over with laughter at the attempts to find SOMETHING to say about women in the middle ages. Women were oppressed and did little, but listen to them and women were the entire lynchpin of order. The only true stroke of brilliance is their focus on individuals of each era and excerpts from primary sources. These truly round off each chapter and save this book from the scrap heap.

For the record, I am an 18 year old male studying for the AP European History test with this book. Thank the heavens that I knew something before wading into this book, and thank heavens for my teacher Ms Boyer. Otherwise I may have actually taken this to be about history rather than a stripped down factiod reel to designed for multiple choice essays.

I don't know what you kids are talking about; this book rocks. Yes, it's somewhat general, some events are drawn in broadstrokes, there are simplificatios etc. etc., but how else would you manage to go from antiquity through the modern era in such short space? I defy anyone to name a better survey of Western history. Honestly, if there is one, one that isn't overly specialized and jargonistic, I'd be glad to hear of it. I used this book nearly 10 years ago and I still remember what it said about the defenestration of Prague, the development of "real Politik", and the Treaty of Versailles, among other things.

This tome, actually intended to be a textbook (thus the very substantial price), is a wonderful read and great for refreshing one's "Western civ" knowledge after being out of school over 30 years. I've always enjoyed history and it helps to have such a reference as this which presents a cogent overview of events. Certainly the book can't be all things to all people. For those areas of special interest, e.g., the Celts, one desires to obtain more in-depth sources. However, this work accomplishes what it sets out to do, to present in a mentally-digestible chronology the flow of the most significant events in Western society and to make it interesting and fun in the process. The fact that the book makes a fine general reference for home or library is an added benefit, i.e., it is not a publication to be perused just the one time. This is one of the very best history books of its kind!

This book entitled, "A History of Western Society" is the most informative book I have read in a history class. It describes the Revolutionary Era to the Present day. Vivid descriptions and carefully laid out photos bring history to life in this book. I highly reccomend anyone who ever thought history was boring to take a gamble and read this wealth of knowledge.

As far as world civilization textbooks go, this one proves to be the most useful. The book spans from Paleolithic icemen to the industrialized peoples of the 20th century all around the world. Included are timelines within each chapter summarizing major events for the chapter. They are short and to the point. Lovely and helpful pictures appear on every page. As a person reads through this book, the begin to be able to make connections between social, cultural, political, and economic ideas in each civilization and then follows up on how each civilization develops throughout time. It is an excellent textbook for people who want to start studing world history.

The style of this author's work was very jumpy. One time it would be talking about one thing and jump to another subject very quickly. He also did not explain certain terms used until later on, which forces you to go back and find where he had used the same term. He provides good information, but it is hard to absorb a lot of it because of his style.

The study guide helps in the process of understanding the narrative of the main text. The multiple choice answers gives a correct explanation for each of the five answers. The guide has a summary for each chapter with an outline of the principle learning objectives of the chapter, a summary, study outline, and to check understanding there are review questions, and study-review exercises, issues for essays and discussion, questions on major political ideas, geography, and problems for further investigation. This is a very well structured guide that really helps to deal with the basic text.