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The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
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$34.95 - $26.21(Save 25%)
Bring history to life with this compelling narrative approach! From the creation of the first empires to the fall of Rome, learn about the events and people of ancient times. Ideal as the spine for advanced high school history studies, this book also makes compelling reading for adults interested in the grand sweep of history.
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Product Overview
This lively and engaging narrative history shows the common threads in the cultures that gave birth to our own. This is the first volume in a bold series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Originally written for adults who want to learn more about history, it can also form a world history spine for advanced high schoolers who enjoy the subject – just add the Study & Teaching Guide for a complete year’s study.
Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. Dozens of maps provide a clear geography of great events, while timelines give the reader an ongoing sense of the passage of years and cultural interconnection. This narrative history employs literature, epic traditions, private letters and accounts to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled. The result is an engrossing tapestry of human behavior from which we may draw conclusions about the direction of world events and the causes behind them.
Question
GK –
When do you expect to have this book in stock?
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Answer Desk –
It should be back in stock within one to two weeks.
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Question
Christina Salisbury –
Is this christian/ biblical??
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Answer Desk –
The History of the World series is secular.
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Question
AJ –
Is this available in digital format so it can be read on an iPad or kindle. I need to be able to have an accessibility sized font for my daughter.
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Answer Desk –
It is available on Kindle via Amazon. This title is published by Norton, so we do not sell the digital format on our site.
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Question
Brittany Beacham –
Hi! I’m wondering if the History of the World Books can be used alongside the Story of the World books, in order to do history family style with high schoolers and elementary/middle schoolers together? Do they line up with each other at all, or do you have a guide that shows how to do that?
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Answer Desk –
We do not have a timeline matchup between the two books. Although the time periods are the same, the History of the World series covers much more information, and it is presented in a way that doesn’t align with The Story of the World.
It can still be helpful to have younger and older students covering the ancient world at the same time. There will be many occasions for general discussion, there may be documentaries that are appropriate to all, and some activities in the SOTW activity books can be enjoyed by older students. Who doesn’t want to build a gingerbread Parthenon?
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Question
Dessa –
Do you happen to have a recommended supplemental reading list (fiction or non) to go along with this?
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Answer Desk –
There is no supplemental reading list, but the Notes section lists works cited by chapter, and you can find some good non-fiction reading that way, based on which chapters interest you the most.
For fiction, you can’t go wrong with the classics (Gilgamesh, Iliad, Odyssey, Greek comedies/tragedies), and there are also a good number of choices in historical fiction.
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Question
DH –
What is actually happening with this series? I followed the instructions somewhere on this site to follow SWB on IG, FB, etc. and watch for updates, as well as to contact the publisher and ask when they will publish the fourth book. (See here: https://support.welltrainedmind.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012631393-Will-there-be-another-book-in-the-History-of-the-World-series-What-about-audiobooks- )
I did contact them, and contrary to what I learned here on The Well-Trained Mind website, they claim there will NOT be a fourth book. This is highly disappointing. Every other history curriculum has a modern component… they’ve picked a date to work up to and stopped. WTM and SWB, please reconsider and pick a time period. As time goes on, there will always be more and more info to include. Today’s students need to know about the events that could be included in a fourth book, even one that stops at the fall of the Berlin Wall, or somewhere around there.
The following is the message from WW. Norton & Company.
“Thank you for your inquiry about the 4th volume of Suisan Wise Bauer’s History of the World series. Unfortunately, Susan has decided not to attempt that book because she was having increasing difficulty keeping the volumes at a reasonable length as she moved forward in time. The closer to the present she moved, the source material grew exponentially, and there were more and more events that had to be covered. She figured out that in order to write the volume on modern times she could allot only sixty-something pages to cover all of World War 2, otherwise the book would be unmanageably huge.
I regret her decision, but I understand why she made the choice she did.
Yours truly,
Starling Lawrence
Editor at Large
W.W. Norton & Company, Publishers”
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Press Minion –
Thank you for checking with us, and we apologize for the confusion. The information you received from Norton isn’t quite correct…yes, Dr. Bauer did decide not to follow the original plan of a 4-volume world history, because the 4th volume would have had to cover so much material in such a short span. But she hasn’t abandoned the project, and does plan a continuation of the series…it’s just that it’s going to have to be multiple volumes instead of 1. It’s still a good idea to follow her on Facebook, since that’s her main space for announcing future projects, publications, etc.
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