History of Humanity: Volume V : From the Sixteenth Century to the Eighteenth Century

Volume V of the History of Humanity is concerned with the 'early modern' period: the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

This volume, as with the others in this series, gives the different parts of the world the attention which is due to them, and allows a wide range of voices to be heard.

It gives an extensive overview of this crucial stage in the rise of the West as well as examining the development of cultures and societies elsewhere.

It does this by concentrating on the history of 'culture' from a world-wide perspective, so while attention is given to the rise of modernity and the emergence of capitalism in the West, this is done as part of a broader picture.

Structure The volume is divided into two main parts.

The first is thematic, discussing the geography, chronology and sociology of cultural change in this period.

The second is regional, less theoretical and more empirical; it stresses cultural diversity, the links between different activities in a given region, and the importance of social contexts and local circumstances.

Each chapter has a bibliography which directs the reader to sources of further information. The volume is extensively illustrat with line drawings and plates, and is comprehensively indexed.