To explain it all : everything you wanted to know about the popularity of world history today. volume 1

World history is not a subject; it is all the subjects. Because of this, world history as a discipline has never fit well with the traditional definition of historical research. H.G. Wells wrote the first true book of world history in 1920 and only a few authors have made the attempt to "explain it all" since Wells. In that time, world history has become the chosen subject of polymaths and the field possesses the most potential to unite all of the disciplines of knowledge. The subject of world history has developed several approaches, with "Big History" being the most modern, and flawed, of its variants. --Publisher description World history is not a subject; it is all the subjects. Because of this, world history as a discipline has never fit well with the traditional definition of historical research. H.G. Wells wrote the first true book of world history in 1920 and only a few authors have made the attempt to “explain it all” since Wells. In that time, world history has become the chosen subject of polymaths and possesses the most potential to unite all of the fields of knowledge. The subject of world history has developed several approaches, with “Big History” being the most modern, and flawed, of its variants. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 3 Title - complete......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Also by the Author......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Introduction......Page 11 Chapter One: H. G. Wells......Page 19 Chapter Two: A Short History of the World for Children......Page 99 Chapter Three: Will and Ariel Durant’s The Story of Civilization......Page 139 Chapter Four: Variations on the World Historical Approaches......Page 183 Conclusion......Page 199 References......Page 201 About the Author......Page 203 Edwards explores the major world historical trends in academia from the time of William McNeill and criticizes the failed world historical approach known as "Big History." To Explain it All analyzes seven of the foundational works in the field of World History from H.G. Wells in 1920 to Susan Wise Bauer's ongoing multi-volume work.