Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History (California World History Library) |
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Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History (California World History Library)
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by David Christian and William H. McNeill
Sales Rank: 182787
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Discount: 32 %
List Price: $21.95
$14.93
At Amazon
on 4-14-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 664 pages
Published by: University of California PressEdition: 1st Edition February 1, 2005
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0520244761
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0520244764
Book Dimensions:
8.8 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
Weighs: 2 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
San Diego State University historian Christian is one of the founding figures of the "Big History" movement. His basic premise is that to truly make sense of human history, History must be integrated with virtually all other disciplines-and in order to do this correctly, historians must reach back to the beginning of time. It is becoming fairly well accepted for historians to draw on biology, economics, environmental studies and politics as well as a host of other fields of study, and Christian does a very nice job of explaining the factors that led to the rise of states, the industrial revolution and the information revolution, as well as looking at future possibilities for humankind. What is far less successful is his integration of cosmology, astrophysics and evolutionary biology with the basic fare usually associated with historical analysis. Rather than using the cosmological principles associated with the Big Bang, for example, to demonstrate "underlying unity and coherence" in all systems across time, Christian leaves the reader with a weak metaphor and limited insight. By attempting to cover all of the universe's 13 billion years in a single volume, even one approaching 600 pages, Christian is forced to use such a broad brush that readers will find much of this book to be fairly superficial. 45 b&w illus., 9 maps.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
An introduction to a new way of looking at history, from a perspective that stretches from the beginning of time to the present day, Maps of Time is world History on an unprecedented scale. Beginning with the Big Bang, David Christian views the interaction of the natural world with the more recent arrivals in flora and fauna, including human beings.
Cosmology, geology, archeology, and population and environmental studies--all figure in David Christian's account, which is an ambitious overview of the emerging field of "Big History." Maps of Time opens with the origins of the universe, the stars and the galaxies, the sun and the solar system, including the earth, and conducts readers through the evolution of the planet before human habitation. It surveys the development of human society from the Paleolithic era through the transition to agriculture, the emergence of cities and states, and the birth of the modern, industrial period right up to intimations of possible futures. Sweeping in scope, finely focused in its minute detail, this riveting account of the known world, from the inception of space-time to the prospects of global warming, lays the groundwork for world history--and Big History--true as never before to its name.
Reader Reviews
This review is from: Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History (California World History Library, 2) (Hardcover)
Intellectually stimulating, rapid-fire journey, the "powers of 10" movie specialized for history buffs. Some of the material I found superficial/generalized to be of substance, but the author acknowledges that can be the nature of Big History. An ambitious book which talks directly to ideas that most historians only philosophically discuss. A charge of inductive reasoning would not be far fetched, ie. cherry picking of facts to support prefigured models. Excellent overview of Big History and World History ideas and methods and themes. Annotated bibliographies at the end of each chapter, and large one at the end of the book, are very good for further exploration, most book recommendations are recent (1990s and early 2000s). Despite criticisms learned some new and important perspectives and recommend it highly.
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Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History (California World History Library)
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Price: $14.93
Updated on 4-14-2008.
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