Worlds of History, Volume One: To 1550: A Comparative Reader

Assembled by award-winning community college teacher and distinguished world historian Kevin Reilly, the documents in the best-selling Worlds of History bring history alive for students. Students read voices from the distant and more recent past that address topics and issues -- like patriarchy, love and marriage, and imperialism -- of enduring interest and relevance. Ranging widely across regions and cultures, each chapter takes up a major theme and asks students to examine it in the context of two or more cultures, encouraging them to make cross-cultural connections and comparisons. The flexible comparative and thematic framework easily accommodates the variety of approaches instructors bring to teaching world history while supporting the general goal of cultivating critical thinking skills.

KEVIN REILLY is a professor of humanities at Raritan Valley College and has taught at Rutgers, Columbia, and Princeton Universities. Co-founder and first president of the World History Association, Reilly wrote The West and the World and has edited a number of works in world history including Readings in World Civilization and the World History syllabus collection. As a specialist in immigration history, Reilly was tapped to create the "Modern Global Migrations" globe at Ellis Island's Museum of the History of Immigration. His work on the history of racism led to the editing of Racism: A Global Reader. He was a Fulbright scholar in Brazil (1989) and Jordan (1994). In 1992, the Community College Humanities Association named him "Distinguished Educator of the Year." Currently he serves on the governing Council of the American Historical Association.