Page 44 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol I - Abraham to Coal

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articles assigned to each category are listed in the are extracts from primary source material designed to
Reader’s Guide at the front of each volume. give readers a first-hand sense of what life was like for
people in different places at different times. For exam-
The Topical Categories ple, a sidebar in the “Time, Conceptions of” article con-
Africa trasts Muslim and Christian conceptions of time while
Americas a sidebar in the “Trading Patterns, Indian Ocean” arti-
Arts and Literature cle provides a description of Goa by an early English
Asia settler.
Biography Additionally, there are over 600 maps, illustrations,
Commerce—Organizations and Institutions and photos.The maps include sixty maps drawn for the
Commerce—Systems and Patterns encyclopedia and thirty old maps. The old maps are
Commerce—Trade Goods and Products significant not just because they show something about
Communication
history but because they are part of history itself. They
Conflict and Peace Making—Diplomacy and
tell us much about how the mapmakers and the gov-
Peace Making
ernment officials and explorers for whom they made the
Conflict and Peace Making—War and Conflict
maps saw the world and their place in it. For example,
Cultural Contact and Relations
the series of maps in the “Africa” article show how Euro-
Daily Life
pean perceptions of Africa changed over the years as
Disciplines and Fields of Study
Europeans came into more frequent and extensive con-
Environment and Ecology
tact with Africa. Many of the photos and illustrations
Eras, Empires, States, and Societies
come from older (eighteenth- and nineteenth-century)
Europe
sources and, like the old maps, are themselves also part
Evolution
of history. As we note in captions to several illustrations,
Government, Politics, and Law
some present highly stylized and romanticized images
Health and Disease
of other peoples and other places and provide readers
International and Regional Organizations
with insight into how Westerners, for example, per-
Migration
ceived the peoples they encountered in the Americas.
Periodization
Philosophy,Thought, and Ideas
Population Acknowledgements
Religion and Belief Systems We want to mention and acknowledge our deep appre-
Research Methods ciation for the major role played by the editorial boards
Social and Political Movements in this work. Bill McNeill was ever-vigilant in reviewing
Technology and Science the evolving articles list to keep us focused on world
Themes—Models and Processes history, pointing out gaps and redundancies as well as
Themes—Places suggesting authors and taking on ten writing assignments
Transportation himself.The editors worked very hard to define world his-
Ways of Living tory, to keep our focus on the needs of students, teachers,
Women and Gender and historians and to produce an article list that covered
each field.They also recommended numerous authors, re-
Other Content viewed articles quickly and thoroughly and kept us mov-
The encyclopedia also contains more than 500 side- ing in the right direction.The board of associate editors
bars and more than 300 quotes. Many of the sidebars also helped shape the headword list. Several (Philip,