Synopses & Reviews
“The Old World, the New World, and the Creation of the Modern World, 1400–1650: An Interpretive History” provides a unique look at the early years of European discovery and colonization, examining the impact of this period on the historical development of both the New and Old Worlds.
The text is enhanced by the incorporation of a wide variety of original source material, allowing readers to benefit from a more first-hand experience of the historical events of the period. Providing the essential facts in conjunction with expert analysis, the volume poses a number of important questions to enable readers to construct their own analysis of the evidence presented. Uniquely, the volume goes beyond the standard textbook formula of “what, when and where” to delve more deeply into the specific (as well as the wider) significance of historical developments, thereby providing the platform for a textured, interpretive understanding of the history of the Atlantic world.
Review
“Atlantic history is fast becoming one of the most original and exciting modes of historical enquiry. With its plethora of contemporary source material, visual and written, Shatzman’s volume is a trusty guide through the intricacies and complexities of the early modern Atlantic world.” —Rev. Dr David Ceri Jones, Aberystwyth University, Wales
Review
“In deft prose and through clear exposition of complex themes, Shatzman demonstrates a mastery of a huge body of often conflicting literature. Via extensive use of dramatic primary evidence, Shatzman makes vital and real the excitement, drama and massive human costs entailed in Europe’s encounter with the Americas from Columbus’s arrival in 1492 to the establishment of colonial British American colonies in the seventeenth century.” —Professor Trevor Burnard, University of Melbourne
Synopsis
This book provides a unique look at the early years of European discovery and colonization, analyzing the impact of this period on the historical development of both the New and Old Worlds.
About the Author
Aaron M. Shatzman is dean of social sciences at Montgomery County Community College, Philadelphia, PA.
Table of Contents
List of Figures; List of Original Source Material; Preface; Introduction; Chapter One – Beginnings: Europe and the Wider World; Chapter Two – Expansion: The Old World and a New World; Chapter Three – Spain Ascendant: Conquest and Colonization; Chapter Four – Interlopers: Pirates, Traders, Trappers, Missionaries; Chapter Five – Profit and Piety: The English Settlements; Chapter Six – The Sea and the Land: Open Space, Abundance, Frontier; Index