This second edition of Consumerism in World History draws on recent research of the consumer experience in the West and Japan, while also examining societies less renowned for consumerism, such as those in Africa.

By relating consumerism to other issues in world history, this book forces reassessment of our understanding of both consumerism and global history. Each chapter has been updated and new features now include:

• a chapter on Latin America
• Russian and Chinese developments since the 1990s
• the changes involved in trying to bolster...

This book features some of the greatest travellers in human history - people who undertook long journeys to places they knew little or nothing about. From Roman tourists, to the establishment of the Silk Road; an epic trek round China and India in the seventh century, to Marco Polo and through to the first speculations on space travel, Premodern Travel in World History provides an overview of long-distance travel in Afro-Eurasia from around 400BCE to 1500.

This survey uses succinct accounts of the most epic journeys in the premodern world as lenses through which to examine...

This far reaching study examines the key theme of trading in world history, from the earliest signs of trade until 1500.

From the origins of drinking to the use and abuse of alcohol in the present day, Alcohol in World History combines archaeological evidence with historical case studies to produce a fascinating exploration of drink and its cultural meanings in contemporary society

Covering the last five hundred years of global history, The Environment in World History examines the processes that have transformed the Earth and put growing pressure on natural resources.

Chapters and case studies explore a wide range of issues, including:

• the hunting of wildlife and the loss of biodiversity in nearly every part of the globe
• the clearing of the world's forests and the development of strategies to halt their decline
• the degradation of...

In Aging in World History, David G. Troyansky presents the first global history of aging. At a time when demographic aging has become a source of worldwide concern, and more people are reaching an advanced age than ever before, the history of old age helps us understand how we arrived at the treatment of aging in the modern world. This concise volume expands that history beyond the West to show how attitudes toward aging, the experiences of the aged, and relevant demographic patterns have varied and coalesced over time and across the world.

From the ancient world to the...

In Peace in World History, Peter N. Stearns examines the ideas of peace that have existed throughout history, and how societies have sought to put them into practice. Beginning with the status of peace in early hunter-gatherer and agricultural societies, and continuing through the present day, the narrative gives students a clear view of the ways people across the world have understood and striven to achieve peace throughout history. Topics covered include:

• Comparison of the 'pax Romana' and 'pax Sinica' of Rome and China
• Concepts of peace in...

In Peace in World History, Peter N. Stearns examines the ideas of peace that have existed throughout history, and how societies have sought to put them into practice. Beginning with the status of peace in early hunter-gatherer and agricultural societies, and continuing through the present day, the narrative gives students a clear view of the ways people across the world have understood and striven to achieve peace throughout history. Topics covered include:

• Comparison of the 'pax Romana' and 'pax Sinica' of Rome and China
• Concepts of peace in...