This is a revised and updated version of the Longman Handbook of World History Since 1914, first published in 1991. The compilers, Chris Cook and John Stevenson, will be familiar names to many, having produced numerous similar format reference titles in the fields of modern history and politics. Cook (formerly head of the Modern Archives Unit at the London School of Economics and also editor of Pears Cyclopedia) and Stevenson (reader in history at Worcester College, Oxford and editor of English Historical Documents) are also editors of the new Routledge Companions to History series of which this volume is part. Other titles already available or shortly to publish include The Routledge Companion to European History since 1763 (Cook and Stevenson together, review forthcoming in Reference Reviews), The Routledge Companion to Britain in the Nineteenth Century, 1815‐1914 (Chris Cook alone) and titles on the Crusades, decolonisation, medieval warfare and fascism and the far right.
Packing almost 90 years of international history (coverage ends with the start of the Iraq War in 2003) into less than 600 pages is no easy task, but Cook and Stevenson are well qualified for the job and employ the tactics that have served them well in similar undertakings. Opening the book and occupying nearly 260 pages is Part I Political History. Regionally arranged (Europe, Middle East Africa, Far East, Australasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America), this is primarily a chronology of major events subdivided by topical or country headings (e.g. France 1918‐1944; Arab‐Israeli Conflict since 1948; Indian Subcontinent since 1947). Entries are inevitably brief, rarely exceeding 30 words, but are judiciously selected to give a basic picture of major political trends and developments. Interspersed are occasional tables, some of mixed relevance to the overall picture (e.g. casualties in the Pacific Islands campaign), while the section concludes with a handy 30 page listing of Heads of State and Selected Ministers and Rulers.
The next part, Wars and International Affairs covering 100 pages, is divided into 12 sections, e.g. The United Nations; Nuclear Warheads and Stockpiles 1945‐2002; Major Acts of Terrorism and Assassinations. Here the 40 page Wars and Major Armed Conflicts is the longest and probably most useful contribution. The paragraph sized accounts include c.300 words on the First Gulf War and even 40 words on the Costa Rica Civil War and Rebel Invasion 1948. Part III Economic and Social History fills the following 50 odd pages, mainly comprising selected statistical data. Included in the mixed bunch of tables and text is Population of Individual Countries (recent and for selected dates since 1914), Population Density and Urbanization, Population of Major World Cities (recent and selected dates), other demographic data such as life expectancy and production data for commodities such as rice, steel and oil by major producing countries. Additional valuable sections are The Environment and Pollution, a brief chronological listing of significant developments by year, and the similarly assembled The Changed Status of Women: Key Events.
The remaining main pages are taken up with potted biographies, a glossary and a slightly rambling bibliography. There are about 250 biographical sketches, ranging in length from 25 to 200 words, generally for political leaders (e.g. Allende, Salvador 120 words; Reagan Ronald, 120 words). None of the information can compare with detail available elsewhere, but the short accounts neatly complement the other material. The glossary is spread across 40 pages and has a range of useful entries of up to 200 words in length. These include Black Power, Khmer Rouge (just 14 words but with a helpful cross‐reference to the entry Kampuchean Civil War), Shuttle Diplomacy and Versailles, Treaty of. The Topic Bibliography is arranged geographically in sections similar to those in Political History. Presentation is in a rather distracting narrative style that, while providing the occasional thoughtful summary comment, may prove too dense and cluttered for those wanting to extract a key reference for further reading. In some areas there is also evidence that updating has been overlooked or new works missed; the bibliography for East and Central Africa, for instance, has no title published more recently than 1988.
Making up the tail of the companion are ten simple black and white maps (e.g. Central European Frontiers 1919‐1937; Israel and its Neighbours) and an 11‐page index. The latter makes a valiant attempt at comprehensiveness, especially in covering the Political History section, but may not be specific enough for those seeking every scrap of information this book contains. Apart from this, and inevitably a few minor errors and the odd unexplained anomaly (e.g. see‐sawing population figures for cities such as Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv (pp. 367‐368)), the content is accurate, well presented and, above all else, carefully selected and relevant to the needs of users. These, the series blurb makes plain, are likely to be “the student and the general reader”. Certainly, with the paperback priced at a mere £16.99, this is as much a book for the individual as the library shelves, but smaller collections and quick reference sections may well consider it a useful purchase, especially if the earlier Longman Handbook has proved a popular source.
