Penguin Atlas of Modern History

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Ancillary Text for AP Modern European History
Review: I am writing this review to call this book (and its companion, The New Penguin Atlas of Recent History by the same author) to the attention of all the teachers and students of Advanced Placement Modern European History. Its conciseness, the entertaining nature of its narrative, and the lucidity of its well-conceived maps make it a wonderful supplement for whatever textbook you use for teaching and learning this subject matter. It can be used effectively throughout the year to make the bewildering detail of the successive epochs of European development more understandable by its clear pinpointing of the strategic objectives the various European states were aiming at. Its discussions are also so compact that they make excellent reviews before tests -- and before the big exam at the end of the year, especially. I can't recommend another work available in this field more highly. Criticism of the military and political emphases of McEvedy's narrative seem beside the point as these were instrumental in acquiring wealth and were, whether we like it or not, the basis of policy decisions for all European rulers. The introduction to this volume is particularly valuable as it challenges the universally accepted notion that Scientific and Industrial Revolutions occurred within an encapsulated time periods as a result of immediate causative factors. Here, McEvedy clearly states that the advantages European states enjoyed were not military, but cultural and administrative. These advantages were accumulated gradually. McEvedy's military/political emphasis is merely the result of his recognition that the acquisition of financial power is the objective of the modern state and that history is the resulting record of the means that shaped these ends. Lastly, one reason I find this work so useful because it is written by a British author with all the advantages that perspective entails for a view of Eurocentric history. Use this work for your APMEH courses!

Rating:
Summary: Modern History in very broad brush strokes
Review: My recent interest in Early Modern European History led me to search for an atlas that would help place, geographically, the countries, cities, and towns often mentioned in the histories. Modern atlases will do in a pinch, but it can be difficult to match modern spellings with those of several hundred years ago - if indeed they still exist. I was surprised when my search turned up few recent publications. In fact, The Penguin Atlas of Modern History was the only one I could find readily available that covered the specific period of interest.

The Atlas itself is a mixture of text and graphics. It is generally divided into interleaved sections that cover the World and then Europe for a given period. Almost without fail each page of text is followed by a supporting map. Most of the maps are large scale - either showing the entire world or an entire continent. It is relatively easy to locate major countries and large political units, like the Holy Roman Empire, significant trade or exploration routes, and the large population centers. But forget about finding nearly any city or town even slightly off the beaten path.

The Penguin Atlas of Modern History tried to do too many things instead of just focusing on the maps. Consequently, it failed to be more than a very broad introduction to the period textually and even less so graphically. The maps provided less information than my 1950's Rand McNally Atlas of World History. And most of the historical texts covering this period provide maps on par with those in this Atlas.

If you are looking for an introduction, supported with large simple maps, to the general movement of this period than I would recommend this book. But for more in-depth study The New Cambridge Modern History Atlas, if you can find a copy, is a better choice. With 288 pages of maps it has far more information than the Penguin Atlas of Modern History. There is no text, other than that on the maps themselves, but then, thats what the history books are for.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource--and most enjoyable reading
Review: This was the first of Colin McEvidy's historical atlases in my collection. His skill at showing the panoramic sweep of history has kept me coming back for more.

This volume does an excellent job in covering the period from the late fifteenth century to the fall of Napoleon. The maps are excellent--clear and well-thought out. But what sets this series apart from other historical atlases is Colin McEvidy's sharp wit. The fact that French King Francis I had "more dash than brains" breathes greater life into that monarch's appearance on the world stage than might be expected in the few lines alotted to him.

Overall a wonderful atlas and a good read.