Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History of the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

A richly original look at the origins of money and how it makes the world go 'round

Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of our financial system, from its genesis in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance. What's more, Ferguson reveals financial history as the essential backstory behind all history, arguing that the evolution of credit and debt was as important as any technological innovation in the rise of civilization. As Ferguson traces the crisis from ancient Egypt's Memphis to today's Chongqing, he offers bold and compelling new insights into the rise- and fall-of not just money but Western power as well.

On New Year+s Day 1870, ten-year-old Adolph Korn was kidnapped by Plains Indians. For three years, he thrived on their rough, nomadic existence, becoming a fierce warrior. Never readjusting to white society, he spent his last years in a cave, all but forgotten by his family. That is, until Scott Zesch stumbled over his great-great-great uncle+s grave. Determined to understand how a timid farm boy could have become so Indianized, Zesch traveled across the west, digging through archives, speaking with Comanche elders, and tracking eight other child captives with hauntingly similar experiences.

CATEGORIES & SUBJECTS:

• Textbooks | History | World History
• History | World History | General
• History | Historical Study
• Western Civilization

The Making of the West  is a story of interactions — cross-cultural exchanges that span the globe, as well as the ongoing interactions between societies, cultures, governments, economies, religions, and ideas. To highlight these interactions and help students grasp the vital connections between political, social, and cultural events, "The Making of the West: A Concise History "presents a comprehensive picture of each historical era within a brief chronological narrative. The book also situates Europe within a truly global context, facilitating students’ understanding of the events that have shaped their own times. A full-color map and art program deepen students’ understanding of the narrative.

The phenomenal bestseller, with more than 500,000 copies sold worldwide, now with a new epilogue from the author--The Chalice and the Blade has inspired a generation of women and men to envision a truly egalitarian society by exploring the legacy of the peaceful, goddess-worshipping cultures from our prehistoric past.

In the past, historians could rely on their basic understanding of bibliographic tools to do effective research, as resources were primarily available in print, on microform, or at a library. Today, the information explosion resulting from access to the Internet has complicated traditional research methods by heightening expectations and raising new questions about retrieving, using, and presenting information.
The Information-Literate Historian is the only book specifically designed to teach today's history student how to most successfully select and use sources--primary, secondary, and electronic--to carry out and present their research. The book discusses:
* questions to ask before, during, and after the research process, as well as questions to ask about sources and their authors
* search strategies that can be used in both electronic and print indexes
* the various types of sources that are appropriate for specific research questions
* how to find and use books, journals, and primary sources quickly and efficiently, and how to select the best ones for a particular topic
* the ways in which historians practice their craft and the nature of historical discourse and narrative
* methods for finding, using, and evaluating such media as images, speeches, and maps
* guidelines for presenting historical research in different formats, including papers, oral presentations, and websites
Written by a college librarian, The Information-Literate Historian is an indispensable reference for historians, students, and other readers doing history research.

Marked by C. Warren Hollister's clear historical vision and engaging teaching style, this classic text (first published in 1964) is now in its 11th Edition and has been judiciously revised by Dr. Judith Bennett. Dr. Bennett teaches medieval history and women's history at the Universityof North Carolinaat Chapel Hillwhere she is Martha Nell Hardy Distinguished Professor. Bennett was educated at MountHolyokeCollege, the Universityof Toronto, and the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, and is the author of numerous books and articles about peasants, women, and families in the Middle Ages.

This 11thedition of Medieval Europe: A Short Story gives us a far-ranging, thorough and fascinating look at the art, events, and culture of the Middle Ages. Dr. Bennett has given greater coverage of Byzantium and Islam, a revised map program, a new essay program on medieval myths, and more. Professor Hollister once wrote that “Our world todayis a product of the medieval past." Medieval Europe introduces today's students to the medieval roots of our own society. In an accessible and engaging narrative, students learn how the peoples of medieval Europe built, understood, and changed their world. Never losing sight of the neighboring civilizations of Byzantium and Islam, it has its feet firmly planted in the medieval West, from whence it gives ample consideration to such subjects as women's lives, Jewish communities, ordinary people, and the experiences of Europeans in the often-neglected centuries of the Later Middle Ages.

The "Golden Age" was anything but a "Golden Age". The problems people dealt with were many, including infanticide, widespread slavery and poverty (running up to 90 percent); a closely-bonded upper class that enjoyed the fruits of classical culture without bothering to transmit its fruits to the remainder of the realm. The problems of urban life in London--most specifically the violence of medieval London—may very well have been attributable in part to the existence (in 1309) of 354 taverns and more than 1300 ale shops

This book makes a very convincing argument that western culture was shaped more by the Middle Ages than anything following. A terrific introduction to the Middle Ages.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Judith M. Bennett’s research has been supported by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, the NationalHumanities Center, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and numerous other agencies. She has held lectureships in Australiaand England, as well as the United States. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in London, she has held offices in such professional organizations as the Medieval Academy of America, the North American Conference on British Studies, the Coordinating Council for Women in History, and the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians. Professor Bennett has received several awards for her scholarly books and articles, and she is also an acclaimed teacher at UNC-CH, where she has won a top teaching award and is now a fellow of the Academyof Distinguished Teaching Scholars. 

 

Textbooks | History

History | Historical Study

History | Europe | General

History | Medieval History

Europe Middle Ages

Medieval Civilization

Chronological Period: 500-1453

Marked by C. Warren Hollister's clear historical vision and engaging teaching style, this classic text (first published in 1964) is now in its 11th Edition. It has been judiciously revised by Dr. Judith Bennett. Dr. Bennett teaches medieval history and women's history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she is Martha Nell Hardy Distinguished Professor. Bennett was educated at Mount Holyoke College, the University of Toronto, and the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, and is the author of numerous books and articles about peasants, women, and families in the Middle Ages.

This 11thedition of Medieval Europe: A Short Story gives us a far-ranging, thorough and fascinating look at the art, events, and culture of the Middle Ages. Dr. Bennett covers Byzantium and Islam, there is a revised map program, a new essay program on medieval myths, and more. Professor Hollister once wrote that “Our world today is a product of the medieval past." Medieval Europe introduces today's students to the medieval roots of our own society. In an accessible and engaging narrative, students learn how the peoples of medieval Europe built, understood, and changed their world. Never losing sight of the neighboring civilizations of Byzantium and Islam, the text has its feet firmly planted in the medieval West, from whence it gives ample consideration to such subjects as women's lives, Jewish communities, ordinary people, and the experiences of Europeans in the often-neglected centuries of the Later Middle Ages.

The "Golden Age" was anything but a "Golden Age". The problems people dealt with were many, including infanticide, widespread slavery and poverty (running up to 90 percent); a closely-bonded upper class that enjoyed the fruits of classical culture without bothering to transmit its fruits to the remainder of the realm. The problems of urban life in London--most specifically the violence of medieval London—may very well have been attributable in part to the existence (in 1309) of 354 taverns and more than 1300 ale shops

This book makes a very convincing argument that western culture was shaped more by the Middle Ages than anything following. A terrific introduction to the Middle Ages.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Judith M. Bennett’s research has been supported by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, the NationalHumanities Center, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and numerous other agencies. She has held lectureships in Australiaand England, as well as the United States. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in London, she has held offices in such professional organizations as the Medieval Academy of America, the North American Conference on British Studies, the Coordinating Council for Women in History, and the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians. Professor Bennett has received several awards for her scholarly books and articles, and she is also an acclaimed teacher at UNC-CH, where she has won a top teaching award and is now a fellow of the Academyof Distinguished Teaching Scholars. 

As heard on NPR—a wondrous nationwide celebration of our shared humanity

StoryCorps founder and legendary radio producer Dave Isay selects the most memorable stories from StoryCorps’ collection, creating a moving portrait of American life.

The voices here connect us to real people and their lives—to their experiences of profound joy, sadness, courage, and despair, to good times and hard times, to good deeds and misdeeds. To read this book is to be reminded of how rich and varied the American storybook truly is, how resistant to easy categorization or stereotype. We are our history, individually and collectively, and Listening Is an Act of Love touchingly reminds us of this powerful truth.

Faced with the sale of the century-old family summer house on Cape Cod where he had spent forty-two summers, George Howe Colt returned for one last stay with his wife and children. This poignant tribute to the eleven-bedroom jumble of gables, bays, and dormers that watched over weddings, divorces, deaths, anniversaries, birthdays, breakdowns, and love affairs for five generations interweaves Colt's final visit with memories of a lifetime of summers. Run-down yet romantic, the Big House stands not only as a cherished reminder of summer's ephemeral pleasures but also as a powerful symbol of a vanishing way of life.

More than any other text, A History of World Societies introduces students to the families, foods, workplaces, religions, and diversions of peoples of the past through lively, descriptive writing and extensive primary sources that give voice to a wide range of individuals. This hallmark treatment of social history combines with strong political, cultural, and economic coverage and a clear, easy-to-manage organization to provide students with the most vivid account available of what life was like throughout human history.

The Eighth Edition welcomes to the author team Merry Wiesner-Hanks and Clare Crowston, experienced world-history teachers and highly regarded scholars who bring additional attention to gender and cultural history. It also expands the text's global perspective by strengthening coverage of non-Western topics and comparisons among world societies. A fresh, colorful look and a completely new map program showcase a narrative that the authors judiciously shortened for even greater power and accessibility.

Bedford/St. Martin’s is proud to have recently acquired the stellar McKay franchise in World History and Western Civilization. These wonderful books fit well with our publishing philosophy at Bedford/St. Martin’s, emphasizing innovation, quality, and a focus on the needs of students and instructors. We hope to contribute to their future success with the care and attention to detail we give every book we publish.

This book examines how it was possible and what it meant for ordinary factory workers to become effective unionists and national political participants by the mid-1930s. We follow Chicago workers as they make choices about whether to attend ethnic benefit society meetings or to go to the movies, whether to shop in local neighborhood stores or patronize the new A & P. Although workers may not have been political in traditional terms during the '20s, as they made daily decisions like these, they declared their loyalty in ways that would ultimately have political significance. As the depression worsened in the 1930s, not only did workers find their pay and working hours cut or eliminated, but the survival strategies they had developed during the 1920s were undermined. Looking elsewhere for help, workers adopted new ideological perspectives and overcame longstanding divisions among themselves to mount new kinds of collective action. Chicago workers' experiences as citizens, ethnics and blacks, wage earners and consumers all converged to make them into New Deal Democrats and CIO unionists. First printed in 1990, Making a New Deal has become an established classic in American History. The second edition includes a new introductory essay by Lizabeth Cohen.

A native of Bombay, Suketu Mehta gives us an insider’s view of this stunning metropolis. He approaches the city from unexpected angles, taking us into the criminal underworld of rival Muslim and Hindu gangs; following the life of a bar dancer raised amid poverty and abuse; opening the door into the inner sanctums of Bollywood; and delving into the stories of the countless villagers who come in search of a better life and end up living on the sidewalks.

Bringing together practical methods from both history and composition, Writing History provides a wealth of tips and advice to help students research and write essays for history classes. The book covers all aspects of writing about history, including finding topics and researching them, interpreting source materials, drawing inferences from sources, and constructing arguments. It concludes with three chapters that discuss writing effective sentences, using precise wording, and revising. Using numerous examples from the works of cultural, political, and social historians, Writing History serves as an ideal supplement to history courses that require students to conduct research. The third edition includes expanded sections on peer editing and topic selection, as well as new sections on searching and using the Internet.

"Timely and sympathetic . . . a work of impassioned advocacy."--People

A hundred years ago, women were lacing themselves into corsets and teaching their daughters to do the same. The ideal of the day, however, was inner beauty: a focus on good deeds and a pure heart. Today American women have more social choices and personal freedom than ever before. But fifty-three percent of our girls are dissatisfied with their bodies by the age of thirteen, and many begin a pattern of weight obsession and dieting as early as eight or nine. Why?

In The Body Project, historian Joan Jacobs Brumberg answers this question, drawing on diary excerpts and media images from 1830 to the present. Tracing girls' attitudes toward topics ranging from breast size and menstruation to hair, clothing, and cosmetics, she exposes the shift from the Victorian concern with inner beauty to our modern focus on outward appearance--in particular, the desire to be model-thin and sexy. Compassionate, insightful, and gracefully written, The Body Project explores the gains and losses adolescent girls have inherited since they shed the corset and the ideal of virginity for a new world of sexual freedom and consumerism--a world in which the body is their primary project.

"Joan Brumberg's book offers us an insightful and entertaining history behind the destructive mantra of the '90s--'I hate my body!'" --Katie Couric