The Historians' History of the World in Twenty-Five Volumes, Volume 02

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8

Word count: 2.2M words
Chapters: 223

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Historians' History of the World in Twenty-Five Volumes, Volume 02 by WilliamsAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: D: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere, Release Date: May 28, 2016

Editor's review

This is Volume 02 of The Historians' History of the World in Twenty-Five Volumes, one installment in a large-scale general history project. Such multi-volume world histories are usually divided by period or region, bringing together narratives by different historians and bearing the clear stamp of late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century general history writing: an emphasis on political and civilizational threads, continuous narrative, and systematic arrangement of materials. As part of the set, Volume 02 suits readers who already know the general framework of world history and wish to read volume by volume. Its value lies in offering a structured macro-narrative perspective, showing how early general-history compilers organized the materials of world history. Given the scale of the work, reading a single volume requires some patience; use the table of contents and index to locate chapters rather than pressing through page by page. For Chinese readers, it is better suited as reference material for understanding the Western tradition of general-history compilation than as an introductory text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

History enthusiasts interested in the Western tradition of general-history compilation
Readers with a foundation in world history who want to read systematically volume by volume
Those who need a macro-narrative framework as reference for teaching or writing
Readers who prefer consultative reading and can locate chapters on their own

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners seeking a concise introduction to world history
Readers expecting the latest historiographical views and contemporary research methods
Those who prefer a single author's continuous narrative and are unused to multi-volume arrangement

Reading tips

Read the general table of contents and this volume's introduction first to clarify the period and regions covered, then choose chapters.
Use it as a reference framework; for specific events, consult modern general histories to supplement the latest research.
No need to read every page; skip by theme or region and note each chapter narrator's emphases as you go.
If reading alongside the full twenty-five volumes, plan a volume-by-volume schedule to avoid overcommitting at once.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can this volume be read on its own?

It can be read on its own, but it is Volume 02 of a twenty-five-volume general history, and its content connects with the preceding and following volumes. Reading a single volume gives you the narrative for the period or region it covers, but the overall thread will be incomplete. If you only want a specific part, check the table of contents first to confirm the scope; for systematic mastery, proceed in volume order.

Is this set suitable as an introduction to world history?

Not very suitable for complete beginners. A multi-volume general history is large in scale, and its narrative style bears the marks of early compilation, making it less friendly to first-time readers. A safer approach is to read a concise world history first to build a framework, then use this set as expansion and comparison material, consulting relevant volumes as needed.

Are the historiographical views in the book outdated?

General histories of this kind were compiled in an earlier period, and their emphases and methods bear the marks of their time; some views differ from contemporary research. Readers should treat it as material for understanding the tradition of general-history writing rather than as the latest research conclusions. For specific historical facts, consult modern historiography for a more comprehensive judgment.

What if reading in English is difficult?

This is an English-language general history with fairly formal syntax and many proper names and place names. When reading, first familiarize yourself with the key personal and place names in the volume's table of contents, then proceed chapter by chapter; mark unfamiliar proper names and look them up together after finishing a section. If English reading is a heavy burden, read a Chinese world history first as a foundation, then select chapters of interest.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Project Gutenberg Author

Project Gutenberg is not a single author but a nonprofit digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and one of the world's earliest free ebook platforms. It relies on volunteers to digitize, proofread, and freely distribute public-domain works and is now operated by the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Its collection contains 2,692 works, mainly religious texts, epics, and story collections, including the King James Bible and the Douay-Rheims volumes, the epic Mahabharata, a literal translation of the Arabian Nights, and Danish editions of the Old and New Testaments. Public information is limited, and its nature is closer to a public-interest compiling and dissemination body; these texts are open to the public, easy to consult and circulate, and have had a profound influence on the spread of ebooks and the preservation of public-domain resources.