Book Description
The challenge to understanding history lies in the tendency to focus on single scenes instead of the big picture, akin to looking at a tapes-try by examining individual stitches instead of the entire design. The Atlas of World History undertakes a fair-minded journey through the human story by mingling close-up looks at events with broader views of what was then happening elsewhere in the world.
Each of this book's six sections, arranged chronologically, opens with a world map that shows developments at various points of the compass, along with an essay about what was happening and why.
Cross-cultural time lines run through the book like a thick thread, tying all of history together. Thus, as one reads a section on Charlemagne, for example, the time line shows selected events happening in Nubia, in India, in China, and in Cyprus.
The text by author Noel Grove, a staff writer for 25 years with the National Geographic magazine, continues with a world-wide perspective usually ignored in works of history: "By A.D. 100, when the Roman Empire was in full swing, some Maya cities were already in decline."
Events are examined for their local as well as global impact: "Great empires butted heads and power changed hands, but these episodes fed a...kinship with a wider community."
Here, then, as Daniel J. Boorstin says in his foreword, "...is an invitation to discover both the mystery and the miracle of human experience on our planet," as Grove shapes complex history into an understandable tale with a storyteller's eye for little-known details: "Russia's...Peter the Great died at the age of 53 after diving into the Neva River in winter to rescue drowning sailors." And "Vikings were not just ruthless killers; they traded as often as they raided, and their wives knew rights that other medieval women could scarcely imagine."
Artwork, maps, and photographs complement the text to tell the story of human history in a single volume.
Customer Reviews:
Horrible mistake in regards to PERSIAN GOLF ****************.......2004-11-22
What the hell is going on... I wonder wich rich royal family in the mid-east has funded this unbeleivable mistake!!!
For your info, The Persian golf has existed for thousands of years up until your 2004 Edition.
What happened ??? Are you taking advantage of the last moments in mullah history before they are overthrown to clinch a deal with the Arabs ?????
I am really disapointed, and did not think that a non-for profit organisation like yours would do such a mistake.
RECALLL All Copies or Face Legal Actions.
Sam
Vancouver Canada
Historical information in this book was manipulated.......2004-11-10
In this book, unfortunately due to powerful anti-Iranian (Persian) activities and the typical incompetence of the Islamic Republic that occupies Iran, the southern states of the Persian Gulf who have only come to existence thanks to foreign powers, have slowly become more brazen. As a result the National Geographic Society has printed at least three major erroneous statements in its Atlas of the World 2005 (Eighth Edition, ISBN: 0-7922-7543-8 & ISBN: 0-7922-7542-x) regarding Iran and the Persian Gulf.
Considering the fact that the National, Geographic is the biggest non-profit educational and scientific institution, it is hard for us to fathom how they made reference to the Persian Gulf with an unrecognized name. The United Nations, in addition to historical records and facts that date back more than thousands of years, have made it abundantly clear that the body of water in question is recognized as the Persian Gulf.
The atlas also falsely claims that several Persian Gulf Islands belong to the newly created United Arab Emirates. It would appear that the National Geographic Society has joined hands with the enemies of Iran, and is now openly helping those who seek to compromise Iran's territorial integrity. Perhaps the National Geographic Society should look back on it's own maps to see that 33 years ago no entity by the name of United Arab Emirates existed, however Iran did. Furthermore, the National Geographic itself had previously always used the formal, and legitimate name, the Persian Gulf to reference the body of water in question. The National Geographic's stance encourages conflict in an area which has experiences relative calm with the use of the official and internationally recognized name of the Persian Gulf for centuries. Iran (Persia) has existed for more then seven thousand years, and to now have a publication attempt to strip it of its historical territory will not be tolerated.
The Atlas goes further to claim that the Persian Gulf Islands are being occupied by Iran. If anything is being occupied, it would be various parts of Iran (Persia) that have been taken from us through illegal means starting 33 years ago.
We condemn the policies of the National Geographic that have made it possible for such illegitimate maps to be published. We look to hear from the National Geographic regarding the blunders they have made on their 2005 Atlas, and urge them to correct these errors, and to apologize to the nation of Iran (Persia) for damaging our national culture and heritage in addition to our territorial integrity.
The enemies of Iran should know, so long as there is one Iranian (Persian) alive with blood pumping through his or her heart, even the thought of taking one grain of Iranian (Persian) soil, will strongly be opposed and defeated.
As a result, the historical information in this book was manipulated.
D. Javidan
Fine history tome but not really an atlas...........2003-02-21
I give this book four stars because, while it is really not an atlas, it is a wonderful overview of history.
The book features the superb photography/illustrations that folks expect from National Geographic. These graphics are used to good effect, showing the progression from early history to the late 1990's. I find it a most enjoyable "refresher course" in world history. There is a timeline at the top of each page indicating significant events for the given period.
If you wish to have a succinct world history summary/review with great aesthetics, you can't go wrong with this. However, it offers relatively few maps (around 60 or so), so don't depend on it as a true atlas.
Good but see below.......2002-09-22
I've been on an ancient history kick lately, and since it's been about 20 years since I've done a lot of reading in this area, I thought I would check out what's available in the way of good historical atlases of the ancient world, or of world history in general.
This book is one of the half-dozen big atlases out there that are available. Since I've been looking in detail at all of the current ones, I'll give brief comparisons and you can go from there and decide which one might be best for you.
Atlases are great for looking up those events, both momentous and not-so-momentous, to get a quick grasp and overview of the situation without getting bogged down in some more detailed and ponderous history. All the current ones do a decent job of that, but they very in terms of readability and the number of maps included, and the degree to which they integrate the visual maps and materials with the text. Here's the scoop on all of these.
1. For my money, John Haywood's Atlas of World History is the best combination of features and price. Haywood writes very well and has a nice, deft touch with the material, unlike many atlases, whose prose often sounds somewhat dry and technical. The book was written along with a team of graphics experts skilled at combining the written word with maps and illustrations, and it shows. Although not as large as the Hammond and Dorling-Kindersley books, it's still excellent and only a fraction of their cost. Two other nice features are the color-coded timelines which accompany each two-page spread, and the many special symbols and legends on the maps, which are used to illustrate and highlight points in the text.
2. The Oxford Atlas of World History is also well written, and has lots of maps just like the Haywood volume. I found the writing style somewhat drier than Haywood's, but it's one of the most scholarly of the atlases out there, and could be used by college students given the level of presentation of the material. These two books are otherwise very close, except that the Haywood volume is less than half the price of this one.
3. The Nat'l Geographic offering has some of the most entertaining writing by Noel Grove and Daniel Boorstin I've found in any history text. Some of the tidbits are really great, such as Grove's comment that "Russia's...Peter the Great died at the age of 53 after diving into the Neva River in winter to rescue drowning sailors." And "Vikings were not just ruthless killers; they traded as often as they raided, and their wives knew rights that other medieval women could scarcely imagine."
However, the main shortcoming of this atlas is that it contains almost no maps. Most of the illustrations are arts or crafts related, for some reason. In that sense the book hardly qualifies as an atlas, and it would be more accurate to say it's a more like a well-illustrated history of the world, instead.
4. The Hammond Atlas, along with the DK, is physically the biggest, thickest, and most comprehensive of the 6 discussed here. It's also the highest priced, and more expensive than the cheapest one here by a factor of four or five. It's still a fine atlas despite the cost, and I'd still be quite happy with this one as it's certainly a beautifully done atlas.
The book has over 600 maps and illustrations, many of which show such nice details (which not all the other atlases do) as mountain ranges, and in general are beautifully colored with a variety of symbols showing movements of peoples and armies and other important historical and cultural details, similar to the Haywood volume.
The level of presentation of the material is also high, and would be appropriate up through college level, but the prose style is a little drier and more technical sounding than the DK or Haywood, for example. However, someone who is already pretty knowledgeable about history could probably still use this atlas, compared with the DK, which, although more attractive graphically, is obviously aimed at a broader audience.
5. The Dorling-Kindersley atlas is the most beautifully designed, graphically, of all the offerings out there, and they often set the maps at various angles or distort them in creative ways to fit all the different paragraphs of text and illustrations on a page, which sometimes looks a little weird. Because of this, the presentation consists of an introductory section in larger type, with other paragraphs in smaller type which are paired with the other maps and graphics on each two-page spread. In fact, there is almost a 1 to 1 correspondence between the illustrations and the text paragraphs. I found this made the atlas harder to use than the others, since the pages are almost so dense and busy with material that it's almost distracting, but there's no doubt it's the most visually appealing and graphically innovative of all the atlases out there. Their maps are really spectacular, and they use the glossiest paper, so their maps look more attractive.
The DK atlas also provides the best coverage of non-European history, doing a much better job of covering Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania. The other atlases are more Eurocentric in their focus. Next to the DK, the Hammond atlas provides the best coverage in this regard.
6. The last atlas I wanted to discuss is the Times Atlas of World History. Although now a little dated, having come out almost 10 years ago in 1993, it still counts as one of the mostly scholarly, well-written, and well-illustrated of these works, and it's also intermediate in terms of price. I read somewhere that the more recent Hammond atlas is actually this one updated, but they don't state specifically that the Time atlas was its predecessor, so I can't verify this.
Hope my little "Consumer Reports" comparison guide helps. Good luck and happy atlas shopping, buying, and reading!
Low on detail; few maps.......2001-12-12
I had to get this book, as I love National Geographic feature maps. Once I acquired it, however, I was shocked to discover how few maps are provided by this book. Furthermore, I am usually disappointed by this book when looking for specific events, dates, and locations. Help me recover my dignity as a consumer and buy something else!
Average customer rating:
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The Geographic Revolution in Early America: Maps, Literacy, and National Identity (Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia)
Martin Bruckner
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
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ASIN: 080785672X |
Book Description
The rapid rise in popularity of maps and geography handbooks in the eighteenth century ushered in a new geographic literacy among nonelite Americans. In a pathbreaking and richly illustrated examination of this transformation, Martin Bruckner argues that geographic literacy as it was played out in popular literary genres--written, for example, by William Byrd, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Royall Tyler, Charles Brockden Brown, Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark--significantly influenced identity formation in America from the 1680s to the 1820s.
Drawing on historical geography, cartography, literary history, and material culture, Bruckner recovers a vibrant culture of geography consisting of property plats and surveying manuals, decorative wall maps and school geographies, the nation's first atlases, and sentimental objects such as needlework samplers. By showing how this geographic revolution affected the production of literature, Bruckner demonstrates that the internalization of geography as a kind of language helped shape the literary construction of the modern American subject. Empirically rich and provocative in its readings, The Geographic Revolution in Early America proposes a new, geographical basis for Anglo-Americans' understanding of their character and its expression in pedagogical and literary terms.
Customer Reviews:
Wow!.......2001-12-04
As a school librarian, I'm always on the look out for new books on ancient civilizations. And I do alot of inter-district loaning when I have something good. Everyone is raving about this book. I bought it for myself when my kids where doing ancient history, but I've loaned it to about 10 people since then. Everyone loves just thumbing through it--fabulous illustrations and photos; good, concise documentation; and it covers everything imaginable! Now, if they would just put it back in print!
Amazon.com
No matter where you go, someone had to be there first. The National Geographic Expeditions Atlas looks at more than 100 years of National Geographic Society-funded or -chronicled explorations to the poles, undersea, skyward, and into our past. Though it contains plenty of maps from many eras covering small and large scales, the book is more a beautifully illustrated travelogue of adventure than an atlas proper; few will complain, however. The photography is transcendent, skimming the very best of National Geographic's deservedly respected work to reveal the depths of ice caves, the heights of Everest, never-before-recorded ruins, and hundreds of exhausted explorers. Even the most thoroughgoing stay-at-homes will find themselves pining for the fjords as they read the exploits of the daredevils and scientists who roam the frontiers or create new ones. The writing is subdued, but it pays careful attention to details, humanizing the men and women involved and bringing their day-to-day struggles to vibrant life. Jacques Cousteau, Theodore Roosevelt, Louis and Mary Leakey, Amelia Earhart, Jane Goodall, and John Glenn are some of the famous names on the roster of National Geographic explorers--and the introductory timeline highlights an encouraging trend toward more and more adventurers and expeditions as the years advance. The more you read, the more tempted you'll be to join them yourself. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
Founded more than 112 years ago "for the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge," the National Geographic Society has chronicled the exploits of some of the most famous explorers of the 20th century, and often helped fund those efforts. Roald Amundsen and Robert Byrd. Hiram Bingham and Howard Carter. Charles Lindbergh and Alan Shepard. Jacques Cousteau. Edmund Hillary. Will Steger. Bob Ballard. John Glenn.
In addition, the Society has reported on a different sort of explorer: anthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey, for example, primatologists Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall, and archaeologists such as Matthew Stirling and Kent Weeks.
National Geographic Expeditions Atlas, illustrated with hundreds of historic and contemporary photographs and more than 60 maps (both vintage and new), celebrates the achievements of Society luminaries. Some, like mountaineer Barry Bishop and diver Luis Marden, have been staff members. Many have contributed to the Society's official journal, National Geographic magazine: Amazonian explorer Loren McIntyre, for example; divers Sylvia Earle and David Doubilet; adventurer-scientists Joseph Rock and Roy Chapman Andrews; cartographer Bradford Washburn; mariners Amos Burg and Robin Lee Graham. Also part of Geographic's family: winners of the Hubbard and Grosvenor Medals, and recipients of the nearly 7,000 grants awarded by the Society over the past century to support scientific and geographic explorations.
National Geographic Expeditions Atlas is dedicated not only to all Geographic explorers past and present, but also to the enduring spirit that makes such expeditions possible: an insatiable thirst for knowledge about our planet and everything in it.
Customer Reviews:
Hundreds of historic and modern photos and over sixty maps .......2006-08-18
The National Geographic Society was founded over a hundred years ago to foster geographic knowledge, and its latest EXPEDITIONS ATLAS reports on some of the most famous explorers of the 20th century who furthered knowledge of world geography - including scientists and researchers. Hundreds of historic and modern photos and over sixty maps pack EXPEDITIONS ATLAS to trace the achievements, motivations and experiences of such famous explorers as diver Sylvia Earle and cartographer Bradford Washburn. These are adventurers who deserve every bit as much recommendation as the more famous Hillary, Lindbergh and Cousteau - all names also included here - and who deserve and receive the recognition. EXPEDITIONS ATLAS thus fosters a far greater set of insights into world exploration and discovery than the usual focus on adventurers alone.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
A Timeless Atlas!.......2000-06-21
This is a great addition to your adventure books library! People have been seeking adventure since the beginning of time and there is still much to be discovered. This book is a great sampling of those adventurers both past and present who dared to venture beyond traditional boundaries and who have brought us a better understanding of this phenomenal world we live in. I plan on giving this book as gifts to my adventure-seeking friends!
Product Description
AFRICA: The Winds of Freedom Stir a Continent - Mapping Earth's Fastest Changing Lands - Where Elephants Have Right of Way - The Last Great Animal Kingdom: A Portfolio of Vanishing Wildlife - Across the Ridgepole of the Alps - Finding the World's Earliest Man - Childhood Summer on the Maine Coast
Product Description
Top Stories: Northwest Wonderland: Washington State - Seattle, City of Two Voices - Changing Empire of the Northwest - Angkor, Jewel of the Jungle - Diving Saucer Takes to the Deep
Product Description
Top Stories:
Russia as I Saw It - Portrait of Earth's Largest Continent - The President's Music Men - New Guinea to Bali in Yankee - The World in Dolls - A Message from Your Society's President
Product Description
Top Stories:
Modern Miracle, Made in Germany;
Volcanic Fires of the 50th State: Hawaii National Park;
Queen of Canada;
Geographic Photographers Win Top Awards;
Staten Island Ferry, New York's Seagoing Bus;
Where Falcons Wear Air Force Blue
Product Description
Top Stories: Good-will Ambassadors of the U.S. Navy Win Friends in the Far East - Periscope Camera Pierces Ancient Tombs to Reveal 2,500-year-old Frescoes - A Firsthand look at the Soviet Union - Western Soviet Map Added to Atlas Folio - Miracle of the Mermaid's Purse
Book Description
"America was the place Smith had dreamed of his whole life.
There, his character, determination, and ambition had propelled him to the top of society. He spent the rest of his life trying to return.Though he failed, he pointed the way for others, who were drawn by the dream that opportunity was here for anyone who dared seize it. It was a powerful thought, one that had as much to do with creating the country we have today as anything Smith did to keep Jamestown alive. Smith founded more than a colony. He gave birth to the American dream."
—from Captain John Smith
It is one of history's ironies that the person who guaranteed the success of English settlement in America first arrived as a prisoner under sentence of death. Captain John Smith tells the real story behind this swashbuck-ling character who founded the Jamestown colony, wrote the first book in English in America, and cheated death many times by a mere hairbreadth. Based on rich primary sources, including Smith's own writings and newly discovered material, this enlightening book explores Smith's early days, his forceful leadership at Jamestown that was so critical to its survival, and his efforts upon his return to England to continue settlements in America. This unique volume also reveals the truth behind Smith's relationship with Pocahontas, a tale that history has greatly distorted. As the four hundredth anniversary of the first colony in America at Jamestown approaches, Captain John Smith serves as a great testament to this confident, brash, and heroic figure.
Customer Reviews:
Another good Jamestown/John Smith book.......2007-05-11
I read "Captain John Smith" after reading Price's "Love & Hate in Jamestown". Both books I enjoyed tremendously. What I liked about Captain John Smith, and one could have presumed this by the difference in titles, is that it educates the reader about Smith's life before Jamestown. I was amazed by his encounters with the Turks and shortly thereafter his escape from slavery. We also learn about the relationships Smith built and skills he acquired before boarding the Susan Constant. Smith's adventures before Jamestown give him much more credibility as a leader once he arrives in the New World.
As a side note do NOT watch the movie The New World. It will cloud your mind with inaccuracies. I thought the movie was poor enough to turn off part way through.
A masterpiece of investigative history.......2007-02-06
I had not given Pocahontas much thought, till I had heard that the great Terrance Malick was going to make a movie based on her life. I eventually watched "The New World" and was just knocked out. What a hauntingly beautiful film. I just had to know if this was historically accurate? In the DVD of the film there is a great special section where you see to what lengths Malick went to recreate "Jamestown". The feel and look of authenticity is complete on all levels, so it would seem, except....the actual story. I read through a few web sites that comment on the film; the views of some native American's (quite understandably upset....) put me in touch with the Hoobler book. Took it out from the library and read it. I was knocked out for the second time. What a triumph of hard investigative work. They uncovered material that has not seen the light of day since written, some of which dates to Smith's own hand. The upshot of this is that while "The New World" is a fantastic film, it is alas not historically accurate as far as the relationship between Smith and Pocahontas. This does not detract from the film as such; it is entertainment and not someone's scholarly PhD disseration. Yes, Malick strangely opted to craft the script along the lines of American folklore, which insists that there was some sort of love affair between the two. No, there is not a shred of reliable historical evidence that this ever came about.
The best thing to do is to watch the film and then read the Hoobler book. If you accept the reality that the film does a superb job of recreating the look and feel of Jamestown but does not tell the exact story, then the discord between what is entertainment and what is history can be properly framed. An excellent book well recommended to those who are interested in the founding of America.
Superb.......2006-07-25
This is a concise collection of Smith's adventures that is interspersed with Smith's own words. The piece is well organized and written, and most importantly provides insight into the mindset, motive, and philosophy of Smith and the early American settlers. It certainly provides the reader with a greater understanding of how America has become what it has. And how it will continue be the land where individual spirit is rewarded.
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