"Sources for the History of Western Civilization is a primary source reader designed specifically for students to interact with the sources with limited editorial additions. It begins in the second millennium BC with The Descent of Ishtar and ends with Isaac Newton's The Principia. This volume can stand alone as the primary source reader for the first half of a Western Civilization course or be paired with Michael Burger's overview text, The Shaping of Western Civilization, Vol. 1"--Provided by publisher.

This engaging text offers a brief, readable description of our common Western heritage as it began in the first human societies and developed in ancient Greece and Rome, then through the Middle Ages. Providing a tightly focused narrative and interpretive structure, Brian A. Pavlac covers the basic historical information that all educated adults should know. His joined terms "supremacies and diversities" develop major themes of conflict and creativity throughout history. The text is also informed by five other topical themes: technological innovation, migration and conquest, political and economic decision-making, church and state, and disputes about the meaning of life. Written with flair, this easily accessible yet deeply knowledgeable text provides all the essentials for a course on Western civilization.

Burger (history, Mississippi U. for Women) has carefully edited a substantial group of sources by supplying helpful footnotes and modernization of terms to set the readings within easy use of undergraduates. The texts for this volume range chronologically from the Ancient Near East to the early modern period, and includes ancient epics, passages from the Old Testament, saints' lives, medieval biographies, works from the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution. Each reading is preceded by a brief paragraph explaining its background. A series of b & w plates of Greek art are included. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"Sources for the History of Western Civilization is a primary source reader designed specifically to allow undergraduate students to interact with historical documents. Michael Burger provides only the editorial guidance that students truly require, without unnecessary interventions. The third edition gives special stress to certain genres, including letters and biographical writings, in order to facilitate comparisons across time. Introductions to sources are reticent, encouraging students to make their own assessments and giving instructors the freedom to supplement where desired. Like the companion textbook, The Shaping of Western Civilization, this two-volume sourcebook ranges in space and time from the ancient Near East to twentieth-century Canada and twenty-first-century Central Europe. The third edition features substantive revisions and additional coverage of key topics throughout; in Volume One, students and instructors will find new material on the West’s relations with the wider world c. 1100–1600."--

Sources for the History of Western Civilization is a primary source reader designed specifically to allow undergraduate students to interact with historical documents without unnecessary editorial intervention.

Courses in Western Civilization I and II; historiography courses primarily European. Now that almost all sources are available on the web, a new kind of source book is needed. Older source books cannot compete with the free (and easily chosen) sources on the web. This book really makes students think through problems. As a professor for over 20 years, the author has used and discarded most source books that "bundle" sources with a short intro and a few questions. This book integrates sources within thematic chapters.