Unlike many of its longer and more expensive competitors, The Shaping of Western Civilization is a short and coherent overview of the history of Western civilization from the ancient Near East to late eighteenth-century Europe and America. Michael Burger's skills as both writer and synthesizer enable students to see connections across time and to witness how the West's past moulds its present. Michael Burger's goal is to "put readers in a position to ask fruitful questions of primary sources." To achieve this goal, The Shaping of Western Civilization is shorter than most overview texts to give students more time to engage with the sources. By obtaining a sound background from the textbook, students can ask meaningful questions of the primary sources, especially those collected in the overview's counterpart, Sources for the History of Western Civilization: Volume I. Maps, timelines, black and white illustrations, notes on references, and a section on further reading are all included. Special Combined Price: The Shaping of Western Civilization: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment may be ordered together with Sources for the History of Western Civilization, Volume I at a special discounted price. In order to secure the package price, the following ISBN must be used when ordering: 978-1-55402-605-0.
