From Prehistory to the Islamic Conquest
February 1, 2011
Gr 9 Up-These overviews cover government and society, religion, art and architecture. Each one spans thousands of years. The texts are interspersed with fact boxes that discuss such topics as famous people, significant dates, and specific places. The volumes all read like extended encyclopedia entries, and the writing style is dry. Some of the sentences are so convoluted that they are hard to decipher, and the tone is certainly one of attempting to convey just the facts and dates. However, the words used throughout seem at times dismissive of the civilizations. For example, in Ancient Egypt, when discussing myth, one sentence reads, ."..much religious activity focused on constant reiteration or repetition rather than development." Additionally, the illustrations are all in black-and-white, and many of the photographs are grainy. Perhaps this series could be used for student research but these are not books that one would read cover to cover. Many other resources present more engaging and insightful views of these civilizations.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA
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