Presented in one comprehensive volume, this is the Civil Waras it really was-the forces and events that caused it, the soldiersand civilians who fought it, and the ideas and values that are itslegacy today.
Grade 5-8?The emphasis in these books is on cultural history. However, the early chapters give rundowns of the political conditions in their respective countries. Both titles feature discussions of daily life and religious concerns, as well as major artists and writers. This makes for an effective presentation, enhanced by colorful illustrations and graphics. In some cases, the main text is set off by full-page sidebars that give further information on related topics. For example, Cervantes is briefly mentioned in the section on Spanish literature, but he is given more coverage in a nearby box. Of the two, England is the stronger as Spain, which covers a period from roughly Columbus's discovery of America to about 1700, suffers from some redundancies. Overall, however, these are both excellent choices for libraries in need of materials dealing with European cultural history.?Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book De*ion Marco Polo?s account of his journey throughout the East in thethirteenth century was one of the earliest European travelnarratives, and it remains the most important. Themerchant-traveler from Venice, the first to cross the entirecontinent of Asia, provided us with accurate de*ions of lifein China, Tibet, India, and a hundred other lands, and recordedcustoms, natural history, strange sights, historical legends, andmuch more. From the dazzling courts of Kublai Khan to the perilousdeserts of Persia, no book contains a richer magazine of marvelsthan the Travels. This edition, selected and edited by the great scholar ManuelKomroff, also features the classic and stylistically brilliantMarsden translation, revised and corrected, as well as Komroff?sIntroduction to the 1926 edition. Book Dimension length: (cm)19.7 width:(cm)12.8
