Press Release

The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth EditionPeter N. Stearns, general editor

• Introduction• Features of The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth Edition• About the Editors

"As a devotee for many years of William L. Langer's classic Encyclopedia of World History, I have long yearned for a new edition that would bring this indispensable work up to date and would also reflect new trends in the historical literature. Peter Stearns and his team have now met this need with flair and imagination and with impressive comprehensiveness and accuracy. This splendid volume belongs on the shelf of every history lover." — Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Introduction

For decades "the Langer" (as The Encyclopedia of World History was known, for its original editor, William Langer) was the bible of historical reference works. But what was once definitive became dated despite regular revisions, the last in 1972. For this reason, ten years ago Houghton Mifflin asked the historian Peter N. Stearns to breathe new life into this masterwork.

The EWH is the definitive chronology of world history, accessible to historians and general readers alike. Organized by time period, such as the Postclassical Period and the Early Modern Period, it provides a multilayered timeline of different regions. The result is an overview of what was happening around the world at any one time. Each country's chronology provides a thumbnail synopsis of major battles; shifts in power; milestones in religion, culture, and learning; and key political and cultural leaders.

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The EWH's short entries lend themselves to easy fact gathering. Interwoven throughout are cross-references to other entries, allowing the reader to travel across time and place to follow thematic threads — a feature not found in any other book. Most important, the sixth edition corrects the older Eurocentric view. The entries on nearly all areas of the world outside of Europe have been vastly expanded and rewritten, and the European sections have been recast. Readers will find new emphases on culture, social developments, and women's history.

Another mark of the refinement of this classic work is the compact disc included with every copy of the print version. The CD includes the entire text and full-color maps for quick searches of dates, places, people, and more. The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth Edition, is a cutting-edge historical reference work as well as a thoroughly updated classic.

Features of The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth Edition

• The first major update of the Houghton Mifflin history reference classic since 1972.

• The first simultaneous print and electronic release (for licensing) of a mainstay in the Houghton Mifflin history line.

• The most up-to-date chronology available of world history (through 2000).

• A more balanced, encompassing view of world history than that of the 1972 volume.

• Features 52 newly drawn maps, black and white in the print edition, full color in the electronic version.

• A new design with a larger trim size and easier-to-read subheads.

• An extensive and unique system of cross-referencing, allowing readers to follow numerous narrative threads.

• Brief entries that lend themselves to easy at-a-glance fact gathering.

• Authoritative information in a bite-sized format that fits modern tastes and lends itself especially well to electronic use.

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• An index of more than 20,000 entries for quick searches in both the print and the electronic version.

• A distinguished general editor and panel of contributing editors, including Joshua A. Fogel, Sandria Freitag, William Harris, Bennett Hill, Brij V. Lal, Abraham Marcus, Richard Roberts, Joseph W. Trotter, John Voll, and Barbara Weinstein.

About the Editors

Peter N. Stearns is the dean of history at George Mason University. He is the author or editor of more than forty books. For the past ten years, he has overseen the work of ten editors and twenty contributors, all experts in their fields, for this substantial revision. Stearns's books include

The Encyclopedia of European Social History: 1350-2000 (editor, December 2000)Knowing, Teaching, and Learning History (editor, November 2000)World Civilizations: The Global Experience (Stearns et al., July 2000)Documents in World History Series (Stearns et al., February 2000)The Other Side of Western Civilization: Readings in Everyday Life (editor, 2000)Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West (1999)Battleground of Desire: The Struggle for Self-Control in Modern America (1999)World History in Brief (1998)An Emotional History of the United States (editor, 1998)The Industrial Revolution in World History (1998)World History in Documents: A Comparative Reader (1998)Life and Society in the West (with Constance Bouchard, 1988)Expanding the Past: A Reader in Social History: Essays from the Journal of Social History (1988)

The contributing editors are

Joshua A. Fogel (University of California-Santa Barbara)William Harris (Columbia University)Brij V. Lal (Australian National University)Richard Roberts (Stanford University)

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Joseph W. Trotter (Carnegie Mellon University)Barbara Weinstein (State University of New York)Sandria Freitag (University of California-Santa Cruz)Bennett HillAbraham Marcus (University of Texas at Austin)John Voll (Georgetown University)

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