To learn the history of Western civilization, of course you need a series of teaching materials at different levels. For beginners, the most important thing is to have an excellent introductory book. The "History of World Civilizations" before us is carefully selected to meet the needs of beginners.
The author’s name is Jackson J. Spielvogel, who is currently an associate professor emeritus of history at Pennsylvania State University in the United States. He holds a PhD in history from The Ohio State University, specializing in the history of the Reformation. He studied under the famous American expert on the history of the Reformation, Harold J. Grimm (1901-1983). He organized the "History of Western Civilization" course at the University of Pennsylvania, and this book was developed on the basis of the course notes. This book was first published in 1991 and is currently in its third edition, published in 2004.
The author of this book does not have a high academic title, but he has won five major university teaching awards. Among them, the University of Pennsylvania Teaching Award from 1988 to 1999 was the university’s highest teaching award. Judging from the situation of honor, it should be said that he is still very good at teaching. His textbook on the history of Western civilization also received rave reviews. People praised it for its concise and balanced historical synthesis, easy-to-read style, clear clues and wit, and its ability to stimulate people's research interests. In fact, this textbook has a wide influence in the United States, and is used by many schools from Ivy League universities to two-year professional and technical schools. Taken together, this textbook has the following valuable features: it covers all aspects of society, culture, economy and politics throughout the historical process, and is rich in information; it is accompanied by a large number of original historical materials in various forms, including letters, memoirs, Lyrical ditties, official documents, diaries, menus, poems, drama excerpts, etc., and more historical materials are expanded on the Internet; equipped with more than 300 maps and artwork pictures, and each chapter lists the history of major ethnic groups A comparative chronology of events, as well as a substantial introduction and conclusion to each chapter, not only provide a good synthesis of important themes, but also help ensure the continuity of the narrative.
In short, this book is one of the best concise textbooks on the history of Western civilization in the world today. It should be said to be a gratifying thing that it has been introduced into the sequence of university textbooks in our country. It will help improve our country’s people’s understanding of Western civilization. The level of understanding is undoubtedly of great help.