The Asian World, 600-1500

by Roger V. Des Forges, John S. Major

Drawing on numerous primary sources, this volume covers the history of Asia from the reunification of China under the Sui and Tang dynasties from the fifth century CE to Choson Korea in the 16th century, also covering other parts of the continent including India and Japan.

The Medieval and Early Modern World tells the colorful story of a pivotal period in human history, an era that is crucial to understanding our own times. The expansion of trade and city life, the spread and reform of religious institutions, the rise of regional empires and local feudal regimes, and
revolutionary advances in science and technology laid the foundation for the modern world. Told through the words and experiences of the people who lived it- kings, queens, and commoners, priests and lay people, explorers, scientists, artists, and world travelers- this is a world history for a new
generation.

Genres: History, School

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2005

Reviews

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the amount of easily digested material, the reference list, and the fact that there was an index.

I was less fond of how the book was structured in terms of time frames. There was a lot of jumping back and forth in time, and it could have been clearer.

Definitely good for middle grades, and for others searching for an overview.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cogent, quick, high-level overview of various regions of the Asian continent, with a strong focus on China, followed by India, Korea, Japan, and Central Asia. It includes excerpts from primary texts, plenty of pictures, and the prose is legible for the vast majority of reading levels. Necessarily, this means a lot of detail and nuance can't be included, but what is here is factual & useful.

[Jenevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review first written on My Blog in May 2011 during my first reading of the book. Check out all my reviews there!

Middle School History covering China, Korea, India, and Japan from 600AD-1500AD. I really enjoyed the presentation and learning more about this period of time in Asia. Interesting to see how religion spread through the different areas and how it would change in accordance to the needs of the people of that region. I found it fascinating to learn that the Korea had a movable metal-type printing machine 50yrs before Gutenberg made his movable type press. There were lots of little tidbits like that which makes the history much more fun and accessible to the middle schooler and even to those adults (like me) who tend to find history dry and boring.