The Origins of the Modern World: A Global and Ecological Narrative from the Fifteenth to the Twenty-First Century (World Social Change) - Softcover

Marks is eminently well-qualified to bring Asia to the front of the story about the origins of the modern world... Inspired mostly through the work of Andre Gunder Frank and Ken Pomeranz, Marks writes a world history survey that is very useful for locating the place of China and India in the construction of the modern world. -- Adrian Carton Education About Asia The Origins of the Modern World aims at the undergraduate student ... but any teacher who has struggled with the question, 'When did American Civilization begin?' will see other applications. Inexpensive enough to consider as a supplemental reading requirement in a traditional Atlantic History class or even for an American History survey, this well designed textbook will orient students toward broader awareness, both historically and within their own world. -- Joe Petrulionis U.S. Intellectual History This is a splendid book that ... brings together the very latest scholarship to provide a highly readable and erudite account of world history over the last half a millennium... I thus thoroughly recommend this book. -- James Beattie, University of Waikato New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies By far the best of the current world history books on the market. Its main strengths lie in its non-Eurocentric viewpoint, its clear narrative, and its brevity. I would (and have) unreservedly recommended the book to colleagues teaching in the field, as well as to others seeking a quick introduction to the history of the world. -- Sarah Kovner, University of Florida A lucid, accessible explanation of the interaction of world regions and the construction of globalization. A valuable work for undergraduates. -- Martin Anderson, Dominican University I love this book-and more importantly, students do as well. Nothing beats it for putting global perspectives on the table in a readable and intelligent way. -- Thomas Saylor, Concordia University In my world history class from the Mongols to the present, I use The Origins of the Modern World, which students love. They enjoy the brevity of the book, as well as its clear and provocative thesis. It's also nice from a teaching point of view, since Marks uses footnotes and models the sort of writing we expect from students. -- Bram Hubbell, Friends Seminary

This clearly written and engaging book presents a global narrative of the origins of the modern world. Unlike most studies, which assume that the "rise of the West" is the story of the coming of the modern world, this history, drawing upon new scholarship on Asia, Africa, and the New World, constructs a story in which those parts of the world play major roles. Robert B. Marks defines the modern world as one marked by industry, the nation state, interstate warfare, a large and growing gap between the wealthiest and poorest parts of the world, and an escape from "the biological old regime."