| Book Review | Journal of World History, 15.1

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to the Journal of World History online. About 165 words from this article are provided below; about 473 words remain.

If you are a subscriber to the Journal of World History, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a subscriber to the Journal of World History, you can:: • subscribe here.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Journal of World History.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to the journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | Journal of World History, 15.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

1688: A Global History. By JOHN E. WILLS JR. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2001. Pp. xii +330. $ 27.95 (cloth).

Professional scholars study world history in many different ways. William H. McNeill has written an incredible array of books based on the assumption that contacts and collisions between previously separated peoples have operated historically as the mainsprings of human inventiveness. Philip D. Curtin has demonstrated the value of tracing a particular topic such as cross-cultural trade over extended periods of time. Alfred W. Crosby has relied heavily on ecological approaches, Andre Gunder Frank on world-system theory, and Theda Skocpol on the comparative method. Two recent volumes, one by Clive Ponting, the other edited by Richard W. Bulliet, have treated twentieth-century world history in terms of major themes. We also have globally oriented textbooks that present human history from a variety of artfully conceived perspectives, notably "traditions and encounters," "technology and the environment," and "common ventures."

. . .

There are about 473 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.