Childhood in World History - Themes in World History (Paperback)

'Reviewers praised the first edition of this book as a "primer in the field," and the same could be said of this updated edition, published five years later. Expanding his book to include more material on different parts of the world (Africa and South Asia, for example), Stearns (George Mason Univ.) has compressed an encyclopedic perspective on global childhood into a concise, readable 14 chapters. The book is organized more or less chronologically, moving from agricultural and classical civilizations through "modern" childhood, the colonial era, and the 20th century. Thus, the organization is traditional (and somewhat uninspired), as are the topics covered, though Stearns also takes an occasional foray into thematic topics, including a fascinating chapter on the history of children's happiness. The inclusion of a thorough selection of further readings enriches the book's value. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduate and general collections.' -- K. Dubinsky, Queen's University, CHOICE

'Stearns updates his earlier study of the global history of childhood with...a lucid analysis of new research and synthesis of previous secondary works in the field...Scholars researching the history of play and childhood will find Stearns' work an interesting survey of how attitudes towards children and child rearing have evolved over time and very valuable to those who study the nature of play.' -Ellen M. Tsagaris, Rock Island, IL