Reviews
Praise for the first edition An absorbing, crisp, and compact account of how the modern world got to be the way it is. This is the most accessible and comprehensive book yet written that takes into account the recent departures in world history scholarship. Marks sees the world as a whole, and paints a clear and compelling panorama of the transformations that changed history between 1400 and 1900...., Praise for the first editionTerrific! It's far and away the best of its type I've found in over thirty years of teaching. It's clear, succinct, and yet wonderfully comprehensive. It brings together all the current thinking in world history in about as nice a package as can be imagined., The Origins of the Modern World aims at the undergraduate student . . . but any teacher who has struggled with the question, "when did American Civilization begin?" will see other applications. Inexpensive enough to consider as a supplemental reading requirement in a traditional Atlantic History class or even for an American History survey, this well designed textbook will orient students toward broader awareness, both historically and within their own world., In my world history class from the Mongols to the present, I use The Origins of the Modern World, which students love. They enjoy the brevity of the book, as well as its clear and provocative thesis. It's also nice from a teaching point of view, since Marks uses footnotes and models the sort of writing we expect from students., The Origins of the Modern World aims at the undergraduate student . . . but any teacher who has struggled with the question, 'When did American Civilization begin?' will see other applications. Inexpensive enough to consider as a supplemental reading requirement in a traditional Atlantic History class or even for an American History survey, this well designed textbook will orient students toward broader awareness, both historically and within their own world., PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITIONTerrific! It's far and away the best of its type I've found in over thirty years of teaching. It's clear, succinct, and yet wonderfully comprehensive. It brings together all the current thinking in world history in about as nice a package as can be imagined., In my world history class from the Mongols to the present, I use The Origins of the Modern World , which students love. They enjoy the brevity of the book, as well as its clear and provocative thesis. It's also nice from a teaching point of view, since Marks uses footnotes and models the sort of writing we expect from students., PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITIONSplendid, fresh, forceful, and efficient. Marks has a clear focus on the Eurocentrism of most of the textbooks on world history and he has developed an effective, solidly grounded strategy to counter the problem. The ideas are challenging, and the prose is readable and engaging. Ideal for introductory surveys of world history., Marks is eminently well-qualified to bring Asia to the front of the story about the origins of the modern world. . . . Inspired mostly through the work of André Gunder Frank and Ken Pomeranz, Marks writes a world history survey that is very useful for locating the place of China and India in the construction of the modern world., Praise for the first edition The best easily readable overview of the Eurocentric vs. World History debate yet. It should become a standard supplement in the college world history market....., By far the best of the current world history books on the market. Its main strengths lie in its non-Eurocentric viewpoint, its clear narrative, and its brevity. I would (and have) unreservedly recommended the book to colleagues teaching in the field, as well as to others seeking a quick introduction to the history of the world., PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITIONThe best easily readable overview of the Eurocentric vs. World History debate yet. It should become a standard supplement in the college world history market., PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITIONA very useful tool for world history courses, undergraduate and graduate, as well as offering new concepts for scholars still locked in rigid territorial or national studies. . . . The composition in this concise book is clear and topics are interestingly presented, while the source references make it useful for classroom research projects. . . . A helpful account of the principles and organization of trade in world history, written from a global perspective., Marks is eminently well-qualified to bring Asia to the front of the story about the origins of the modern world....Inspired mostly through the work of Andre Gunder Frank and Ken Pomeranz, Marks writes a world history survey that is very useful for locating the place of China and India in the construction of the modern world., PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITIONAn absorbing, crisp, and compact account of how the modern world got to be the way it is. This is the most accessible and comprehensive book yet written that takes into account the recent departures in world history scholarship. Marks sees the world as a whole, and paints a clear and compelling panorama of the transformations that changed history between 1400 and 1900., I love this book--and more importantly, students do as well. Nothing beats it for putting global perspectives on the table in a readable and intelligent way., Praise for the first editionMarks convincingly discredits the standard Eurocentric narrative of mainstream historians, replacing it with a balanced story that places Asia at the centre prior to the 1800s and Europe (then, America) at the centre thereafter. [The author uses] a cogent, accessible style grounded in key historical concepts such as contingency, conjuncture, and accident., A lucid, accessible explanation of the interaction of world regions and the construction of globalization. A valuable work for undergraduates., Marks is eminently well-qualified to bring Asia to the front of the story about the origins of the modern world....Inspired mostly through the work of André Gunder Frank and Ken Pomeranz, Marks writes a world history survey that is very useful for locating the place of China and India in the construction of the modern world., Praise for the first editionA very useful tool for world history courses, undergraduate and graduate, as well as offering new concepts for scholars still locked in rigid territorial or national studies. . . . The composition in this concise book is clear and topics are interestingly presented, while the source references make it useful for classroom research projects. . . . A helpful account of the principles and organization of trade in world history, written from a global perspective., Praise for the first edition A very useful tool for world history courses, undergraduate and graduate, as well as offering new concepts for scholars still locked in rigid territorial or national studies. . . . The composition in this concise book is clear and topics are interestingly presented, while the source references make it useful for classroom research projects. . . . A helpful account of the principles and organization of trade in world history, written from a global perspective...., PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITIONI am delighted and excited by this book--it provides such an excellent overview of what world history is all about. The economy of the writing, the great balance the book displays in juggling an enormous agenda, and the elucidation of concepts are superb., Praise for the first edition Splendid'fresh, forceful, and efficient. Marks has a clear focus on the Eurocentrism of most of the textbooks on world history and he has developed an effective, solidly grounded strategy to counter the problem. The ideas are challenging, and the prose is readable and engaging. Ideal for introductory surveys of world history...., PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITIONThis is a concise and thought-provoking treatment of some major themes in world history: state-building, industrialization, environmental change, and the transformation of material life. The treatment of global inequality as a phenomenon in its own right'not just as a residue of more 'development' having occurred in some places than others'gives the book an important additional dimension. And as a single-authored work, it has a consistent and engaging voice that is hardto find in standard textbooks., I love this book "and more importantly, students do as well. Nothing beats it for putting global perspectives on the table in a readable and intelligent way., This is a splendid book that...brings together the very latest scholarship to provide a highly readable and erudite account of world history over the last half a millennium....I thus thoroughly recommend this book., Marks is eminently well-qualified to bring Asia to the front of the story about the origins of the modern world....Inspired mostly through the work of Andr Gunder Frank and Ken Pomeranz, Marks writes a world history survey that is very useful for locating the place of China and India in the construction of the modern world., Praise for the first editionSets out an analytical framework that is accessible to students while providing an approach to world history that aspires to be truly global. Remarkable in [its] presentation of coherent global narratives in less than two hundred pages. Marks's book has a strong emphasis on economic factors and Western coercion and exploitation and has a clear analytical framework. Closely accompanied by lecture and discussion, it could be used to frame a world history course for the period after 1400., Praise for the first edition This is a concise and thought-provoking treatment of some major themes in world history: state-building, industrialization, environmental change, and the transformation of material life. The treatment of global inequality as a phenomenon in its own right'not just as a residue of more 'development' having occurred in some places than others'gives the book an important additional dimension. And as a single-authored work, it has a consistent and engaging voice that is hardto find in standard textbooks..., This is a splendid book that . . . brings together the very latest scholarship to provide a highly readable and erudite account of world history over the last half a millennium. . . . I thus thoroughly recommend this book.
