Human Journey - 2nd Edition by Kevin Reilly (Paperback)

About the Book

Now in an updated edition, The Human Journey offers a truly concise yet satisfyingly full history of the world from ancient times to 1450. Presenting world history in a grand humanistic tradition, the book's scope, as the title implies, is the story of humanity in planetary context.

Book Synopsis

Now in an updated edition, The Human Journey offers a truly concise yet satisfyingly full history of the world from ancient times to 1450. Presenting world history in a grand humanistic tradition, the book's scope, as the title implies, is the story of humanity in planetary context.

Review Quotes

Kevin Reilly has been a pioneer in the field of world history for three decades. His textbooks and source collections have brought order and clarity to this vast subject for a generation of college students. In The Human Journey, Reilly presents the latest scholarship for general readers and students with his customary blend of intellectual curiosity, wonder, and lively expression. I can think of no better place to start out on the path of world history.

The Human Journey speaks directly to students, offering a very readable and well-developed narrative about the interactions and connections that have shaped human society--from the first hominids to the contemporary implications of globalization. Kevin Reilly presents stories of humanity's past that are concise while also providing depth and ease of understanding. This is an engaging text where readers travel back in time and are amply rewarded for their journey.

This is a wonderfully scholarly book that directly engages the latest debates in the field (with footnotes even!) yet wears its erudition lightly. Reilly expertly weaves together political, economic, social, and LOTS of cultural threads, selecting good--and sometimes surprising--case studies for illustration. The text never loses sight of his view of the grand arc of it all, arguing for a series of successive globalizations over at least the last millennium. This text will make a wonderful companion to Reilly's two-volume document series, which remains a classic in the field.

Up-to-date information and conceptualization take this book to a new level of excellence. As always, Kevin Reilly offers rich social history and narrative.

About the Author

Kevin Reilly is professor of history at Raritan Valley College. He has also taught at Rutgers, Columbia, and Princeton.