Customer Reviews

A History of the Modern World: Ninth Edition

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I came across the 3rd edition of this book (published in 1965?) at someone's house, borrowed it, have read it thoroughly once and am now re-reading it, and yes, this is what I read in bed FOR FUN! Unfortunately, since he will neither give nor sell me the book, I'm going to have to return it some day. So I'm ordering the current edition from Amazon to send to my Dad for his birthday. He has a large library, but does not have this book. EVERY LIBRARY WORTH THE NAME OUGHT TO HAVE THIS BOOK. It is a fantastic read even for someone like myself who has a casual interest in history. I'm a financial advisor and this book provides me with a very good understanding of economic history, eg.Mercantilism, the Gold Standard, etc. But if the reader wants to understand the history of western civilization, it seems to me this book is a must-have. Easy reading. Well-written. Covers the territory. Big picture with adequate attention to detail. Good analysis eg. profound historical significance of Japanese/Russian confrontation in 1905. I can't imagine how someone could NOT like this book, unless he or she is under time pressures to read it, or has little interest in history in the first place. And of course, it does take some intellect to keep up with the author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history or has a class they need the book for. It provides any information you need, and sometimes information you don't really NEED, but it's interesting the same. It can be a little hard to read at times, and the index isn't very helpful most of the time, but it does what it tells you it will, teaches you about history.

I, like many of you precocious high school students who fancied yourselves a cut above the average pupil, took AP European History. I must say that I enjoyed the class, but it was a whole lot more complex than I originally thought. Part of the reason was "A History of the Modern World," a massive, philosophical tome that I thought would be a lot easier to understand than it proved to be. That said, I am so glad our teacher (my personal hero, btw, not even kidding- Scheidler is the man) used this text. I believe that without it, I would have done very poorly. As a result of this book (and my amazing teacher, who could demystify its complexity for us with a lower learning curve), I was confident going into the test. Beyond its academic value, it is simply a well-written book, very interesting and filled with salacious tidbits about various historical figures and institutions. ( Holy Roman Empire, anyone?) Well worth the time and energy required- I think I'm gonna buy a copy to have at my disposal!! Thanks for reading-

This book tell the glorious tale from the middle ages through to the present. R.R. Palmer has a sparkling sence of not only these years but a true understanding and gift with the english languague. Palmer's style though it may unorigional at times takes a new approach to the history of a modern world and the reprocussions that this so called modern world is to face. With Palmers true optimism for man always pertinent A HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD is truly a glorious read whether for pleasure or as an assignment

This book puts all other history books to shame. I used it as the primary source textbook for my AP European History class, and it was great. It is logically organized (not like many other textbooks nowadays, which seem to be organized in a completely random, non-chronological, and confusing fashion), and, yes, easy and interesting to read. Palmer clearly explains not just the events but also the many poltical, social, and economic realities that led to those events. Seriously, read Palmer well and you're guaranteed a 5 on the AP Euro test.

Not only does Mr. Palmer assume that the reader has decided to pick up his book for the purpose of a bedtime story(as this rendition of world history could put a 5 year-old with A.D.D. hyped up on speed to sleep) but also that said reader has extra money lying around to pay their internet provider so that when they realize that they'll gain no specific information(from this novel that attempts to explain everything but unfortunately does not succeed as all topics are kept too broad to ever be able to write a paper) and will spend hours on the web searching for the knowledge they'll never gain from this paperweight. There are elementary school history books written better than this, I suggest you find them ,lest you be a masochist then by all means order a copy.

I am a scholar of Hungarian history, and almost every single mention of the Hungarians or "Magyars" is linked with information that is either plain wrong or shows an immense bias and at the very least a very superficial understanding of the subject material. This is how Kossuth Lajos becomes a racist, there is no mention of Petofi Sandor or Ferenc Deak who were integral in the 1848 revolution and Ausgleich, and a sharp distinction drawn between "Hungarians" and "Magyars." If the author is this wrong about so many subjects that I noticed, how many of his supposed "facts" can really be trusted?