The Historians' History of the World in Twenty-Five Volumes, Volume 04

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8

Word count: 2.3M words
Chapters: 228

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 04 by WilliamsAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: D: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere, Release Date: Sep 6, 2017

Editor's review

This is Volume 04 of the twenty-five-volume The Historians' History of the World, one installment of a large-scale universal history project rather than a standalone monograph. Such multi-volume histories are characterized by broad coverage and continuous narrative, advancing by period or region; Volume 04 sits in the middle of the whole series and bears the narrative task of linking what comes before and after. Its practical significance for readers is that it provides a systematic framework of universal history, suited to building a timeline and regional outline of world history rather than offering cutting-edge research or controversial arguments. Project Gutenberg's electronic edition makes this bulky old universal history searchable and portable, allowing readers to consult specific chapters as needed. Note that the book was written long ago, and its historical viewpoint, sources, and formulations bear the marks of its era; some content is at odds with contemporary historical consensus. Readers should maintain a critical awareness, using it as material for the history of historiography and as a narrative framework rather than as authoritative final word. Reading Volume 04 alone may also feel disjointed due to the lack of connection with preceding and following volumes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who need to systematically sort out the threads of world history and are used to advancing volume by volume
History enthusiasts interested in the compilation conventions of universal histories before the modern era
Researchers who wish to use an old universal history to understand the narrative framework of a certain period
Readers who can read English and possess basic historical background knowledge

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the latest contemporary historical research and debates
Complete beginners with no foundation in world history who need an introductory guide
Readers who want only a single standalone monograph and are unwilling to engage with a multi-volume format

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and the opening note of the volume first to clarify the period and regions covered, then decide which chapters to read closely.
Read alongside a chronology of world history, always placing the narrative back in its temporal coordinates.
When encountering evidently outdated or biased statements, mark them and consult contemporary universal histories for comparison.
If conditions permit, advance in volume order to avoid discontinuities caused by reading a single volume.

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 I read only Volume 04 without reading the other volumes?

Yes, but at a cost. The volumes of a multi-volume universal history are interconnected, and Volume 04 sits in the middle; reading it alone may lack prior groundwork, weakening your grasp of the ins and outs of events. If reading only one volume, first check the table of contents to confirm the scope, and use it alongside a chronology.

Are the views in this history still reliable today?

The book was written long ago, and its historical viewpoint, selection of sources, and mode of expression all bear the features of its era; some content diverges from contemporary historical consensus. It is better read as a narrative framework for universal history and as material for the history of historiography; specific facts and judgments should be cross-checked against authoritative contemporary universal histories.

How difficult is the English?

As an old multi-volume universal history, the prose is formal, with long sentences and a great many place names, personal names, and historical terms. Readers with basic English reading ability and familiarity with world history will find it smoother; beginners are advised to use reference works or a translation alongside.

What conveniences does the electronic edition offer compared with paper?

The most direct benefit is full-text search, making it easy to locate chapters quickly by personal name, place name, or event; it is also easy to carry and excerpt. For a universal history of this bulk, usually consulted only in parts as needed, the search advantage of the electronic edition is especially pronounced.

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.