This brief, best-selling Western civilization text has helped thousands of students learn about the world they live in by exploring the story of its past. Jack Spielvogel's engaging, chronological narrative and extensive inclusion of primary source documents, weaves the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, and military aspects of history into a gripping story that is as memorable as it is instructive. Each chapter offers a substantial introduction and conclusion that sparks students' imaginations by giving them a context within which to understand these disparate themes. And while the single-author narrative makes it easy for students to follow the story of Western civilization, Spielvogel's use of maps and primary sources--including official documents, poems, and songs--truly enliven the past while introducing students to the challenges involved in interpreting history. The richness of the text's pedagogy, in tandem with its brevity, make it the ideal choice for instructors who wish to offer students an economical yet trusted book, or those who use a primary text in combination with readings and materials of their own selection. Available in the following split options: WESTERN CIVILIZATION: A BRIEF HISTORY, Fourth Edition (Chapters 1-29),

"Spielvogel's greatest strength is the consistent narrative style, the coherence of the chapters' story line, the inclusion of good documents, illustrations, maps, timelines, and glossary of terms. At the end of the day, students who have carefully read the text will have a decent overview of the highlights (and lowlights) of Western Civilization."

"Spielvogel offers a direct, comprehensible survey of the history of western civilization. His book is well written, skillfully organized, and accurate. It has enough details to enable students to understand the causes and consequences of historical events, but not so many as to bog them down in unnecessary trivia."

"WESTERN CIVILIZATION: A BRIEF HISTORY is one of the best, and most comprehensive, introductory college textbooks in history. The book achieves sound balance between political and social issues and maintains student interest through a compelling narrative and compact chapters. It allows the instructor to do more with a course."

"For a new or inexperienced instructor, this text (along with the various supplements) is as close to a fail-safe strategy for teaching Western Civilization as may be found anywhere. The writing itself is exuberant and lively, and may certainly be used (with or without supplements) by more experienced Instructors."

Put the world today into context by learning about the past through this brief, best-selling Western Civilization text that has helped thousands of students succeed in the course. Jack Spielvogel's engaging style of writing weaves the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, and military aspects of history into a gripping story that is as memorable as it is instructive. You will also be exposed to primary source documents & actual historical documents that are the foundation for the historical analysis you read in the chapter. These documents include letters, poems, and songs through history-documents that actually enliven the past. Throughout the book there are also helpful tools to help you digest the reading including outlines, chronologies, numerous maps and key terms with definitions.

Jackson J. Spielvogel is associate professor emeritus of history at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, where he studied Reformation history under Harold J. Grimm. His articles and reviews have appeared in journals such as "Moreana," "Journal of General Education," "Catholic Historical Review," "Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte," and "American Historical Review." He has also contributed chapters or articles to "The Social History of Reformation," THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE: A DICTIONARY HANDBOOK, "Simon Wiesenthal Center Annual of Holocaust Studies," and "Utopian Studies." His work has been supported by fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation and the Foundation for Reformation Research. At Penn State, he helped inaugurate the Western civilization courses as well as a popular course on Nazi Germany. His book HITLER AND NAZI GERMANY was published in 1987 (Fifth Edition, 2005). He is the co-author (with William Duiker) of WORLD HISTORY, first published in January 1994 (Fifth Edition, 2007). Professor Spielvogel has won five major university-wide teaching awards. During the year 1988-1989, he held the Penn State Teaching Fellowship, the university's most prestigious teaching award. In 1996, he won the Dean Arthur Ray Warnock Award for Outstanding Faculty member, and in 2000 received the Schreyer Honors College Excellence in Teaching Award.

(Volume I, To 1715 (Chapters 1-16); Volume II, Since 1500 (Chapters 13-29) 1. The Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations. 2. The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires. 3. The Civilization of the Greeks. 4. The Hellenistic World. 5. The Roman Republic. 6. The Roman Empire. 7. Late Antiquity and the Emergence of Medieval World. 8. European Civilization in the Early Middle Ages, 750-1000. 9. The Recovery and Growth of European Society in the High Middle Ages. 10. The Rise of Kingdoms and the Growth of Church Power. 11. The Later Middle Ages: Crisis and Disintegration in the Fourteenth Century. 12. Recovery and Rebirth: The Age of the Renaissance. 13. Reformation and Religious Warfare in the Sixteenth Century. 14. Europe and the World: New Encounters, 1500-1800. 15. State Building and the Search for Order in the Seventeenth Century. 16. Toward a New Heaven and a New Earth: The Scientific Revolution and the Emergence of Modern Science. Glossary. Pronunciation Guide.