The Webs of Humankind: A World History (Volume 1)

Give your students a bird’s-eye view of world history

McNeill’s The Webs of Humankind offers a refreshingly clear view of world history through the lens of connective “webs” of interaction―along which trade, religious beliefs, technologies, pathogens, and much else traveled. Instructors have hailed McNeill’s approach as “integrative” and “accessible,” and students call the book “easy-to-absorb” and “fun to read.” In response to helpful instructor feedback, McNeill has made the Second Edition easier to fit into the standard two-term sequence, with more emphasis on the kinds of connections and comparisons that world history instructors want students to make. He also dramatically expanded primary source offerings and strengthened coverage of Indigenous peoples throughout. Students have flocked to the affordable ebook―and with the Second Edition, this format will provide increased support through embedded assessment and engaging author videos.

The Seagull Edition offers the complete text of the Full edition in full color, with fewer illustrations and maps, in a portable trim size for an unbeatable price.

J. R. McNeill is Distinguished University Professor at Georgetown University. He is the author of award-winning works in world and environmental history. These include The Human Web: A Bird’s-Eye View of World History (co-authored with his father and world history pioneer, William H. McNeill) and Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World, both published by Norton. He has served as president of the American Society for Environmental History and the American Historical Association.