A Cultural History of the Atlantic World, 1250–1820

I consume histories as a glutton. I just can't seem to get enough of them. However said, some leave me unfulfilled and less than satisfied. They may tell a story brilliantly but in the end, something is missing. Questions linger, especially when compared to one's life experiences. Am I really to believe 20,000 soldiers with rocks, spears and perhaps bow and arrow can't overcome 250 horsemen? I do not claim to be the next Patton or Schwartzkopf, but even with my own limited military experience I believe I could construct a winning strategy in this instance. Something else must have occurred. Some other patterns of behaviors or activities that do not conform with popular explanations that fit so neatly within our Western Civilization preconceptions.Along comes Thornton with the rest of the story so to speak. In this most excellent accounting of the human diaspora in the Atlantic Basin from 1250-1820, we can clearly see the nature of cultural confluences that have shaped and configured our present world. Now I know that the Spanish constructed alliances with Native Americans which allowed them to prevail - if indeed such a word correctly applies to what really happened. Thornton explains how tides, currents, winds, geography, fashions, technologies and polities converged to rearrange the shape of humanity in the Atlantic Basin. He offers us a rich and detailed look into the fabric of life during this time that actually describes not only why things happened, but how they happened.Among the notable elements of this book, Thornton addresses an essential element of history so frequently ignored by most. He explains the role of women in shaping the world in which we now live. This alone would be cause for celebration of this history, for Thornton does a wonderful job of explaining the vital roles women played to bridge cultural interfaces in what were often colliding societies.In his excellent history "Fierce Patriot", the story of William Tecumseh Sherman, William O'Connell writes, "Never a historically minded people, Americans seem even less interested in the past these days." And that is just a damned shame for we can more easily see who we are when we examine who we were. Thornton is head and shoulders above most in providing us that clarity. Hats off Professor Thornton! Thank you for a compelling look at what really got us here.

Love it

Don't be intimidated by the size of this book! You won't be able to put it down once you start reading it.

Excellent book

good book...

Excellent!

. . . history books I have read (some other faves being Colin Woodard's American Nations; Philbrick's four books on the trajectory of the American Revolution; David Hackett Fischer's Albion's Seed; Paul Johnson's The Birth of the Modern). And I read almost exclusively history, so that means one of the best books I have ever read.Maybe the top. Because the breadth and depth are astounding, and Thornton keeps you interested and compelled by the unfolding of the many layers of the story that will completely new to most readers.The notes are also fascinating, as Thornton shows how he has been able to take advantage on the increasing availability online of archives, databases, library holdings, etc. to flesh out the big picture.A marvelous book. You won't be able to put it down.One gripe I direct at the publisher: Very sloppy copyediting and even proofreading. There are LOTS of typos etc. and bits that look as though they are in the wrong typeface; bits even seem to be missing in places. Annoying.Cambridge U Press really should have done better by this book.

I had John Thornton as a professor at Boston University, and we used his not-quite-all-the-way-edited version of this book. Thornton was a top the very short list of professors at BU who actually taught and made the information compelling. I wasn't a history major and always came into classes a cynic, but Thornton's class was my favorite at BU. Really the man is a genius.This book is an incredibly interesting look at the exchange of culture between the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Read it, and you'll be amazed with these compelling and human explanations of how our culture came to be the way it is.

Abbiamo comprato questo libro anche per via delle ottime recensioni ma abbiamo potuto constatare come fossero fuorviantiGià la scelta di escludere dalla storia culturale atlantica l'intero Nord America ci ha lasciato perplessiAl di là di ciò il libro è scritto piuttosto maleCi sono anche errori come ad esempio "the relations WAS"Infine la qualità della rilegatura è scadente, il libro a metà della sua lettura, senza che lo si sia minimamente forzato o maltrattato, inizia già a perdere i fogli!Acquisto sconsigliato