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What Members Thought
May 15, 2012
Patricia
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
islamic-history-culture
The single best book I've ever read on the subject. Simple, easy-to-understand. This book should be required reading for everyone over the age of 15. I have returned to it countless times to refresh the details, and to help me put the pieces of world history together. Most recently (2023), it has contributed to my understanding of why Spain (with Columbus and its subsequent conquistadores in the New World, Balboa, Magellan and Legazpi) and Portugal (Bartholomew Diaz, Vasco de Gama, Albuquerque..
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What an engaging and fascinating read! Ansary reminds me of the best kind of history teacher, excited, knowledgeable, and easy to understand. History books commonly have the problem of organization. Either the book is organized a) chronologically, thus feeling like a recitation of dates and events or b) thematically, which draws parallels better, but can be confusing if you aren't familiar with the general history of that time. The book is mostly chronological, which is great for the average Wes
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Apr 14, 2015
Karen Witzler
marked it as interested-in
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
north-africa
