The Encyclopedia of World History : Ancient, Medieval and Modern - Chronologically Arranged

The history of this encyclopedia is one of the most interesting in American (and German) publishing, with a lineage going back well over a century. My colleagues and I, as editors of this new edition, have been conscious of our responsibility in dealing with probably the most revered reference work in our discipline. I myself knew and used what we called the “Langer encyclopedia,” after its distinguished editor, William L. Langer, throughout my professional education and career. My copy was a gift from my father, and all the more cherished as a result. The present edition takes up the encyclopedias heritage with that combination of change and continuity that any historian will recognize as a standard of human endeavor. We have kept the style of most references, as well as many specific entries from what was a marvelous compendium. We have retained the emphasis on periodization as an organizing device for the historians craft. But in seeking to match the earlier editors commitment to thoroughness and to an up-to-date rendition of history as a discipline, we have also made significant changes. Two of these warrant brief comment by way of orientation, and two others deserve more complete explanation.

For decades William L. Langer's best-selling ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD HISTORY was the indispensable, authoritative guide to all of human history. Now, under the direction of a distinguished new editor, comes an updated and dramatically improved version for a new generation, the only encyclopedia of its kind with a bound-in, searchable compact disc of the complete text. The result is a wholly accessible, absorbing canvas of world history that no student, scholar, or amateur historian should be without.
Renowned historian Peter N. Stearns and thirty prominent historians have combined their expertise over the past ten years to perfect this comprehensive chronology of more than 20,000 entries that span the millennia from prehistoric times to the year 2000. With a unique format that has won it generations of fans, the ENCYCLOPEDIA continues to feature chronological entries grouped by geographic region, allowing readers to get an in-depth view of distinct events along with a virtual time line of human history. But this new edition is much more than an expansion of a classic; it reflects important recent changes in historical trends and historical thinking. In addition to showcasing traditional facts of national leadership and state power, the Encyclopedia embraces social and cultural developments, non-European history, women's history, religion, health, economics, technology, and other vital but less often reported aspects of the human drama. Here is a chronicle not only of major political events but of ordinary people, covering shifts in the relationships between men and women, developments in leisure, and demographic currents. And for all periods there are summaries of globaldevelopments that cannot be captured in national or regional frameworks.
As editor Stearns notes in his preface, "The world we know historically has greatly changed. The revisions that animate this edition celebrate this change, benefiting from the labors of countless venturesome scholars over the past several decades." A masterwork whose roots date back to the nineteenth century, this exciting volume belongs at the elbow of every history lover and of anyone who has ever been curious about our constantly changing, remarkably diverse human story.

For decades William L. Langer's best-selling ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD HISTORY was the indispensable, authoritative guide to all of human history. Now, under the direction of a distinguished new editor, comes an updated and dramatically improved version for a new generation, the only encyclopedia of its kind with a bound-in, searchable compact disc of the complete text. The result is a wholly accessible, absorbing canvas of world history that no student, scholar, or amateur historian should be without. Renowned historian Peter N. Stearns and thirty prominent historians have combined their expertise over the past ten years to perfect this comprehensive chronology of more than 20,000 entries that span the millennia from prehistoric times to the year 2000. With a unique format that has won it generations of fans, the ENCYCLOPEDIA continues to feature chronological entries grouped by geographic region, allowing readers to get an in-depth view of distinct events along with a virtual time line of human history. But this new edition is much more than an expansion of a classic; it reflects important recent changes in historical trends and historical thinking. In addition to showcasing traditional facts of national leadership and state power, the Encyclopedia embraces social and cultural developments, non-European history, women's history, religion, health, economics, technology, and other vital but less often reported aspects of the human drama. Here is a chronicle not only of major political events but of ordinary people, covering shifts in the relationships between men and women, developments in leisure, and demographic currents. And for all periods there are summaries of global developments that cannot be captured in national or regional frameworks. As editor Stearns notes in his preface, "The world we know historically has greatly changed. The revisions that animate this edition celebrate this change, benefiting from the labors of countless venturesome scholars over the past several decades." A masterwork whose roots date back to the nineteenth century, this exciting volume belongs at the elbow of every history lover and of anyone who has ever been curious about our constantly changing, remarkably diverse human story. "For decades William L. Langer's best-selling Encyclopedia of World History was the indispensable, authoritative guide to all of human history. Now, under the direction of a distinguished new editor, comes an updated version for a new generation, the only encyclopedia of its kind with a bound-in, searchable compact disc of the complete text. The result is an accessible, absorbing canvas of world history that no student, scholar, or amateur historian should be without.". "Renowned historian Peter N. Stearns and thirty prominent historians have combined their expertise over the past ten years to perfect this comprehensive chronology of more than 20,000 entries that span the millenia from prehistoric times to the year 2000. With a format that has won it generations of fans, the Encyclopedia continues to feature chronological entries grouped by geographic region, allowing readers to get an in-depth view of distinct events along with a virtual timeline of human history."--BOOK JACKET. A completely revised and updated edition of the reference work originally compiled and edited by William L. Langer, now packaged together with a fully searchable CD-ROM, covering all of world history. Completely expanded and revised, this indispensable guide to all human history now includes a searchable compact disc of the entire text and maps for quick search of dates, places, and peoples Accompanying CD-ROM contains complete text of the Encyclopedia, keyword searching, browsing, 52 color maps and 66 genealogical tables Human beings have flourished on Earth for at least 2.5 million years.