The Western Heritage[1] is an American history textbook used for the study of Western civilization and European history. It was published in 1979,[2] and has gone through twelve editions.[3] It was written by Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. It soon became a "standard survey text"[4] and is published in two volumes. Contributor Gregory F. Viggiano joined the authorship team during the preparation of the twelfth edition.[5]

The Western Heritage
First edition
AuthorDonald Kagan, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner
LanguageEnglish
SubjectWestern history
PublisherMacmillan
Publication date
1979
Publication placeUnited States
Pages220
ISBN0-02-361840-X
OCLC134198
909.09821
LC ClassCB245

Considered conservative and old-fashioned when it was published (though with scholarship "entirely up to date"),[6] reviewers chided it for ignoring the Byzantines and Ottomans as well as giving short shrift to Russia and Poland.[6][7] Others indicated lack of attention to the role of the Islamic states[6] and ignorance of Islamic sources.[8] One reviewer included it among Western Civilization textbooks which "could be plausibly described as consistently following something close to a biblical-literalist line" on the history of Ancient Israel.[9]

F.J. Nothling described the 2nd edition as "altogether a useful textbook for those who want a survey of the entire field."[10] On the H-W-Civ network, David K. McQuilkin, reviewing a 1996 combined edition of the text, said, "The Western Heritage is a text that can be used by virtually any first-year college student. It is clear, concise functional, and adequately supported with recent historical scholarship. Moreover, the text achieves exactly what the authors intend it to achieve--that is, a succinct and balanced overview of Western culture and civilization suited to those whose knowledge of the subject is limited. Given this success, The Western Heritage has a definite place among current Western civilization textbooks, for it is compatible with a broad range of divergent teaching approaches and methodologies."[11]

References

edit
  1. ^ Kagan, Donald, Ozment, Steven and Turner, Frank M. (2009) The Western Heritage (Volume One: To 1740) (Tenth Edition) Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, ISBN 978-0-205-70515-3
  2. ^ Kagan, Donald, Ozment, Steven and Turner, Frank M. (1979) The Western Heritage Macmillan, New York, ISBN 0-02-361840-X
  3. ^ "Western Heritage, the, Combined Volume".
  4. ^ Clark, Chalres E. (August 1995) "Review" The History Teacher 28(4): pp. 575-576, page 575
  5. ^ "Search".
  6. ^ a b c Percy, William A, and Suarez, Pedro J. (August 1984) "Today's Western and World Civilization College Texts: A Review" The History Teacher 17(4): pp. 567-590, pages 580-581
  7. ^ Kulczycki, John J. (February 2005) "Eastern Europe in Western Civilization Textbooks: The Example of Poland" The History Teacher 38(2): pp. 153-177, pages 155-157
  8. ^ Frank, Kenneth W. (May 1993) "Pirenne Again: A Muslim Viewpoint" The History Teacher 26(3): pp. 371-383, page 371
  9. ^ Cargill, Jack (May 2001) "Ancient Israel in Western Civ Textbooks" The History Teacher 34(3): pp. 297-326, page 304
  10. ^ Van Wyk, A. J.; Pretorius, F.; Smith, K. W.; Bouch, R. J.; Malan, S. F.; Carruthers, E. J.; Grobler, J. C.H.; De Klerk, P.; Eidelberg, P. G.; Harington, A. L.; Nöuthling, F. J.; Warhurst, P. R.; Van Der Merwe, Werner; Spies, S. B.; Bouch, R. J.; Hattingh, J. L.; Brits, J. P.; Van Zyl, M. C.; De Klerk, P.; De Klerk, P.; Bertelsmann, W.; Bertelsmann, W.; Harington, A. L.; Lambert, J.; Eloff, C. C.; Coetzer, P. W.; Van Aswegen, H. J.; Cuthbertson, Greg (1984). "Boekbesprekings/Book Reviews". South African Historical Journal. 16: 132–168. doi:10.1080/02582478408671591.
  11. ^ "McQuilkin on Kagan and Ozment and Turner, 'The Western Heritage: Brief Combined Edition' | H-W-Civ | H-Net".