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A History of the Modern World [with PowerWeb]
Conceived & written as a history of the modern world rather than a truncated Western Civilization book, this text is one of the most highly praised history texts ever published.
In 1950 Palmer published A History of the Modern World, which is in its tenth edition as of 4/06. He prepared the latest versions with the assistance of Joel Colton & Lloyd Kramer. The text has been translated into six languages & is used in more than 1000 colleges & many Advanced Placement History high school classes. It's notable for its clear, essay-like writing style. Palmer's introduction covers the period from the earliest signs of human civilization to 1300 CE. The main body of the text covers events from the Black Death to the Fall of the USSR in European history. The book is grouped into categories based on ideas, i.e. the effect of the French Revolution on modern & ancient thought may be mentioned before the French Revolution.
In 1950 Palmer published A History of the Modern World, which is in its tenth edition as of 4/06. He prepared the latest versions with the assistance of Joel Colton & Lloyd Kramer. The text has been translated into six languages & is used in more than 1000 colleges & many Advanced Placement History high school classes. It's notable for its clear, essay-like writing style. Palmer's introduction covers the period from the earliest signs of human civilization to 1300 CE. The main body of the text covers events from the Black Death to the Fall of the USSR in European history. The book is grouped into categories based on ideas, i.e. the effect of the French Revolution on modern & ancient thought may be mentioned before the French Revolution.
1259 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1950
68 people are currently reading
937 people want to read
About the author
R.R. Palmer
47 books18 followersRobert Roswell Palmer (January 11, 1909 – June 11, 2002), commonly known as R. R. Palmer, was a distinguished American historian at Princeton and Yale universities, who specialized in eighteenth-century France. His most influential work of scholarship, The Age of the Democratic Revolution: A Political History of Europe and America, 1760–1800 (1959 and 1964), examined an age of democratic revolution that swept the Atlantic civilization between 1760 and 1800. He was awarded the Bancroft Prize in History for the first volume. Palmer also achieved distinction as a history text writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 3, 2025
The photo above looks like the sixth edition from 1984
Its wonderful for explaining things before 1900 or the Victorian Age
.......
one thing about the book that bothered me was just how lacklustre the bibliography was, especially for 1945 to the early 1980s for modern history
It's a book that took a while for me to appreciate though, and when you're trying to figure out some unclear event from 1200 to 1909, this would be the book that give you a coherent summary in two pages
.................
since wikipedia didn't do it, I will
First Edition 1950
Second Edition 1956
Third Edition 1965
Fourth Edition 1971
Fifth Edition 1978
Sixth Edition 1984
Seventh Edition 1992
Eighth Edition 1995
Ninth Edition 2002
I'd be interested to see how the bibliography changes over time
Its wonderful for explaining things before 1900 or the Victorian Age
.......
one thing about the book that bothered me was just how lacklustre the bibliography was, especially for 1945 to the early 1980s for modern history
It's a book that took a while for me to appreciate though, and when you're trying to figure out some unclear event from 1200 to 1909, this would be the book that give you a coherent summary in two pages
.................
since wikipedia didn't do it, I will
First Edition 1950
Second Edition 1956
Third Edition 1965
Fourth Edition 1971
Fifth Edition 1978
Sixth Edition 1984
Seventh Edition 1992
Eighth Edition 1995
Ninth Edition 2002
I'd be interested to see how the bibliography changes over time
May 11, 2010
A very comprehensive book of World History, with special emphasis on European History. This book covers history from Ancient Greece to modern twenty-first century. Although some topics are only briefly covered, the general themes and ideas are explained clearly. This book is a good start if you would like to learn history.
March 25, 2016
I have read this book twice: first, as the text for the senior year AP European History class at Maine South H.S. with Timothy Little, a Grinnell graduate; second, as the text for the freshman year European History class at Grinnell College with Terry Parsinen. For someone not well versed in the broad sweep of the history of the continent such a rereading was actually useful. Palmer and Colton are dense, but thorough. For a couple of years I could actually present the history of either France or England from the middle ages to the present with all the heads of state named and in order off the top of my head. In college this text was supplemented by a larger one containing primary documents.
December 29, 2014
This is an amazing book. I read it for my AP Euro class (by the way, it helped me get a 5), and I was so enamored of it that I bought it.
The content: This is a book of European history but not contained to Europe. It discusses everything on which Europe had a great effect, which I find a great way to approach European history, because, for example, it covers the instability in countries that were former colonies of Europe. No, African dictatorships did not happen in Europe, but Europe certainly had quite a role in instigating them, and it is important to learn the whole story.
The book covers everything from philosophers to political events to demographic trends. I feel it offers quite a good survey.
The writing: The writing quality in this book is unparalleled by any other text book I have read. One of the most frequent discussion topics between my writing-minded friend and I last year was how much we loved this book. Seriously. The authors write intelligently, not insulting the audience, and they acknowledge (like so many textbooks seem opposed to doing) that there are indeed writers of the book and that the people in the history were indeed people. Though with more challenging diction and such, it's incredibly readable. It emphasizes the story with in history, connecting one thing to the next so that you can really get a sense of the flow of each event and idea into another.
The format: This is a no-nonsense book. It has relatively small print and no stupid "AP tip" boxes or anything like that. It only uses black and green ink, save for the several pages with full-color pictures of important pieces of art. Obviously, these authors and publishers were more intent on writing a good book than making it all shiny and spiffy, which is exactly how it should be.
The content: This is a book of European history but not contained to Europe. It discusses everything on which Europe had a great effect, which I find a great way to approach European history, because, for example, it covers the instability in countries that were former colonies of Europe. No, African dictatorships did not happen in Europe, but Europe certainly had quite a role in instigating them, and it is important to learn the whole story.
The book covers everything from philosophers to political events to demographic trends. I feel it offers quite a good survey.
The writing: The writing quality in this book is unparalleled by any other text book I have read. One of the most frequent discussion topics between my writing-minded friend and I last year was how much we loved this book. Seriously. The authors write intelligently, not insulting the audience, and they acknowledge (like so many textbooks seem opposed to doing) that there are indeed writers of the book and that the people in the history were indeed people. Though with more challenging diction and such, it's incredibly readable. It emphasizes the story with in history, connecting one thing to the next so that you can really get a sense of the flow of each event and idea into another.
The format: This is a no-nonsense book. It has relatively small print and no stupid "AP tip" boxes or anything like that. It only uses black and green ink, save for the several pages with full-color pictures of important pieces of art. Obviously, these authors and publishers were more intent on writing a good book than making it all shiny and spiffy, which is exactly how it should be.
April 11, 2012
Read while my daughter was taking IB History. It is a slog. She enjoyed it because it was her first exposure to European History in any detail. (okay a lot of detail!). I found it a little "datey" ie a series of events and dates without the back story. So I would read to her the corresponding section from "the Age of Napoleon" by the Durants, so she could understand what/why things were happening. There is little in the Palmer book to give context, it is really a political history of the Modern (European) World, little or nothing about what was else was happening in Europe. (I would give her context by pointing out that when this political event was happening, for instance, Beethoven was composing the Emperor Piano Concerto.) The Durant's description of the Terror during the French Revolution made it come alive for her, as opposed to the listing of deaths and treaty's in the Palmer book.
February 24, 2007
After over 50 years, this is still the single best textbook ever to grace academia. It's the de facto standard in modern European history classes (and one assumes, the reason I got a 5 on the AP test since I didn't exactly attend class faithfully). Also? It's full of subtle jokes--I mean, historians with senses of humor? Who knew?
October 20, 2007
This is really sad, but I found this on my dad's bookshelves when I was in High School and started reading it. I have read just about the entire thing. I have an old version, but it is still excellent. Most of my understanding of history started in this book, which I read in fragments over many years.
April 28, 2008
In 11th grade, this was the text for my A.P. European History class, and it is to this book (in concert with Mrs. Galvani's excellent teaching, of course) that at least partially owe my history major. I can still see the text on the pages and the little salmon-colored maps. Hooray for a good, solid foundation in European history!
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December 28, 2016Yup, the good ol' Palmer, eighth edition. It's still sitting on a shelf in my family's home. I could just toss it into the recycling (which accommodates hardcover books), but its physical and emotional heft argues against that. At the same time, the most recent copyright in the eighth edition is 1995. Should I ever feel inclined to revisit a history of the modern world, I should do so with a more up-to-date version.
September 9, 2007
Okay, yes this is often used as a textbook. But for someone who never took a modern European history course (no, this is NOT modern world this is modern Europe) it was an enlightening read. LONG (over 1,000 pages!) but easy to read and very engaging. Not your typical textbook. However, I must warn you, you'd better be prepared to commit some serious time to this baby -- it took me at least 50 hours to read, probably a lot more.
August 12, 2013
The complexity and the details presented in this textbook are terrific. I only wish that Palmer and Colton knew how to write! It is a tragedy, really, that the sentences and terribly constructed and must be re-read; otherwise, comprehension of paragraphs and passages is somewhat taxing. One can tell how over-edited the entirety of it has been. A History of the Modern World is great if you want to learn about European history, however.
August 2, 2009
Used in my freshman course in western civilization, modelled after the 2 year Contemporary Civilization course at Columbia condensed into 1 year. Well taught, but I have always regretted that my college education included so little about Asia. The closed I got was coureses in international relations where they had to consider China, Japan and India.
August 17, 2012
Obligated to read this as a first year history bachelor. When you know you have to know a book like this front to back, it's kind of hard to enjoy it. It remains a solid piece of history writing nevertheless, euro-centric though it may be....
August 17, 2018
magnificent，awfully useful
January 14, 2019
A History of the Modern WorldJoel Colton
Although European history is the focus of this book, it gives a great summary of how the changes in Europe's timeline affected the world at large. Throughout history, travel, trade and war have spread ideas and knowledge from one land to another. This book does a wonderful job of not only giving details of the people, but the religious advances, political renderings, lives of the classes, laws and lifestyles. It provides a valuable resource for those researching the whys and hows of the early Europeans, as well as the truths of where our customs and structures have been shaped by these people and their triumphs and faults. It is not just a superb resource but also an entertaining book that will make you think and see your world in a new way. I believe everyone can benefit from the knowledge within its pages, and will enjoy the time spent reading it.
Although European history is the focus of this book, it gives a great summary of how the changes in Europe's timeline affected the world at large. Throughout history, travel, trade and war have spread ideas and knowledge from one land to another. This book does a wonderful job of not only giving details of the people, but the religious advances, political renderings, lives of the classes, laws and lifestyles. It provides a valuable resource for those researching the whys and hows of the early Europeans, as well as the truths of where our customs and structures have been shaped by these people and their triumphs and faults. It is not just a superb resource but also an entertaining book that will make you think and see your world in a new way. I believe everyone can benefit from the knowledge within its pages, and will enjoy the time spent reading it.
May 11, 2021
A really good survey of the history of the modern world, particularly with an emphasis on European history that then expands to a more global perspective as European influence and ideas expands worldwide from the age of exploration to the present. This book was clear and readable and I learned a lot. It was definitely worth reading.
August 9, 2017
An incredible book. Wonderfully written and ties modern world history together in such a beautiful way.
May 16, 2019
It‘s hard to read, but useful.
January 6, 2021
Best introductory text to modern history I've come across.
November 27, 2023
Dense but Good overview of World history through the eyes of Europeans between 1300-2010.
January 3, 2009
I never read this book cover to cover, but I did read a good amount and would recommend on that basis. I read the 3rd edition (not on Goodreads), printed in 1965, and I would recommend that edition; I assume the updates have only improved.
The 3rd edition is 996 pages loaded with information, but all very straightforward, readable prose. The focus is on the geography, culture and concerns at each period it covers. Geography is especially notable, as it contains many excellent maps to use for comparing political boundaries over time. There is an excellent bibliography (which I always look for with serious, scholarly texts) and appendices.
The weakness of this book is the same criticism I have about most other Western Civilization books that claim universality. There is some coverage of Asian and US history, but mostly it focuses on Europe (little to no mention of Africa, South America, Oceania, etc.). They should just call it a History of Modern Europe and its Circumstances. Also, the perspective is disproportionately weighted toward the 20th century and the immediate antecedents. Maybe it's my own bias or sentiment, but I feel more apologetic for this text than other related work (such as The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, which seems more deliberately biased). I hope that the more recent editions have corrected this bias. With that being said, I still feel this text is a good cut above its peers with the weight that it does give to the past and non-Western history, especially given that it was printed in 1965.
The 3rd edition is 996 pages loaded with information, but all very straightforward, readable prose. The focus is on the geography, culture and concerns at each period it covers. Geography is especially notable, as it contains many excellent maps to use for comparing political boundaries over time. There is an excellent bibliography (which I always look for with serious, scholarly texts) and appendices.
The weakness of this book is the same criticism I have about most other Western Civilization books that claim universality. There is some coverage of Asian and US history, but mostly it focuses on Europe (little to no mention of Africa, South America, Oceania, etc.). They should just call it a History of Modern Europe and its Circumstances. Also, the perspective is disproportionately weighted toward the 20th century and the immediate antecedents. Maybe it's my own bias or sentiment, but I feel more apologetic for this text than other related work (such as The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, which seems more deliberately biased). I hope that the more recent editions have corrected this bias. With that being said, I still feel this text is a good cut above its peers with the weight that it does give to the past and non-Western history, especially given that it was printed in 1965.
August 14, 2015
R.R. Palmer, Jeremy Scahill, Joan Didion, and Joe Nye Jr. were introduced to me in high school. These four writers speak truth to power now more than ever, and each has guided my life and played a role in orienting my moral compass. That might not count for much though since I stole a copy from my high school's library after taking European history.
As a piece of scholarly work, Palmer cogently crafts a humane and liberal Euro-centric narrative. The ideals the actors believed in, the acts they committed, and the attendant struggles between the two are recounted with detail and nuance. Most poignantly for myself, it serves as a thousand page reminder of the shared dream of bequeathing a better world to our children.
This book is well worth reading (and stealing) as a survey text, but critically questioning the narrative set forth by the authors, and those of the aforementioned actors, is how to make this text shine brightly enough to see by for a lifetime.
As a piece of scholarly work, Palmer cogently crafts a humane and liberal Euro-centric narrative. The ideals the actors believed in, the acts they committed, and the attendant struggles between the two are recounted with detail and nuance. Most poignantly for myself, it serves as a thousand page reminder of the shared dream of bequeathing a better world to our children.
This book is well worth reading (and stealing) as a survey text, but critically questioning the narrative set forth by the authors, and those of the aforementioned actors, is how to make this text shine brightly enough to see by for a lifetime.
October 20, 2011
It's a dated look at the "modern" world; i.e. Europe mid-century, but a good reminder of how poorly written and factless many more recent standard textbooks have become. I'd guess two people is about the maximum for any coherency; I feel the pain of current AP students trying to learn World or European history with horrible, committee-written, state-vetted textbooks. But enough of that. If you want a text-based, Euro-centric view of the development of the modern world - this is a good one for history buffs of the big over-view. I used it twice - once in high school uncritcally and once in college more critically. If you want to see how students were introduced to world history from 1950 to maybe 1990, try this one out.
August 7, 2012
This is a lifetime bedfellow of mine. I usually pick it up, open somewhere in the middle (or beginning or end) and read a few pages. Though it's stronger than a nightcap (usually puts me to sleep quickly), I really like Palmer's view on how we got here and compare my relationship to the book to the act of doing a puzzle. I pick a page, examine the piece of history in my mind and try to lay it down somewhere it fits. I don't plan to finish this puzzle until I'm a very old lady.
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August 24, 2009I read this in high school World History class, and found the book again on the sidewalk in some one's "free pile". My version is a little dated (1995 ed.), which is actually interesting in terms of the author's perspective, but it's packed full of all of that history (who remembers the Byzantine empire?) that I've forgotten.
June 13, 2012
I read this textbook for AP European History this year, and aside from a few unjustified sentences attacking religion this text was amazing. The dept Palmer along with his colleagues place into this book is wonderful as it summarizes the Ancient World while delving into history from the 1400s to the twentieth century.
July 21, 2013
Really readable and tons of good information, but lacks primary source documents in the text so I can't use it for my AP students. Only a few colored illustrations, which I'm sure keeps costs down, but what on earth is the point of including a Jackson Pollack painting to discuss the use of color and texture if you reprint it in black and white?
May 7, 2016
In truth -- I didn't read every word, but did spend much longer with this excellent history than I expected to. Preparing for a European visit, I hoped to enhance my understanding of past events there that led to the present. This book is a terrific resource, and I'm happy that I own it, for future reference!
January 2, 2008
Read significant portions of this book for AP Seminar in high school - I'm not sure that I "liked" it at the time, as much as it became somewhat an infamous inside joke in our class. When I had the opportunity to purchase my used copy, I took it.
July 22, 2013
This was my high school AP World History textbook and I still reread sections several times a year to refresh my memory of various events and connections.
This silly program won't let me enter the actual date that I finished this book for the first time--which was in 1968.
This silly program won't let me enter the actual date that I finished this book for the first time--which was in 1968.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews