In book three of her world history trilogy (the first two covering Ancient and Medieval times), Susan Wise Bauer looks at the world from ~A.D. 1100 to 1453 (when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks). A survey history, the bulk of her work covers Europe (Britain, France, Holy Roman Empire, Italian regions, Iberian peninsula, Byzantines), Asia (China, Korea, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, Mongolian areas), and the Middle East/North Africa. Other areas (Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Scandinavia, eastern Europe) receive marginal treatments (due in part to lack of written records, I think).
As with her other volumes, this is largely a political history, tracking the rise and fall of rulers, their relations with other rulers, and the ever-shifting borders of nations. And her writing, as before, is done well: clear, succinct, occasionally amusing (intentionally). The chapters are always short (less than 10 pages), making this very digestible and easily enjoyed in small chunks. Survey histories are valuable to show context and connections in the big picture of the world; Bauer does that here. And, she whets the appetite for more, introducing the reader to a variety of fascinating stories that encourage further independent exploration. I hope she continues the series.
Rating: A
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