Pre-Columbian America: Empires of the New World

Kathleen Kuiper Manager, Arts & Culture

Language: English

Published: Aug 14, 2010

Description:

Presents a history of ancient American civilizations prior to the arrival of Columbus, discussing history, agriculture, religion, architecture, art, and politics.
Title: Pre-Columbian America
Author: Kuiper, Kathleen (EDT)
Publisher: Rosen Pub Group
Publication Date: 2010/08/28
Number of Pages: 352
Binding Type: LIBRARY
Library of Congress: 2010013770

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From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-These overviews cover government and society, religion, art and architecture. Each one spans thousands of years. The texts are interspersed with fact boxes that discuss such topics as famous people, significant dates, and specific places. The volumes all read like extended encyclopedia entries, and the writing style is dry. Some of the sentences are so convoluted that they are hard to decipher, and the tone is certainly one of attempting to convey just the facts and dates. However, the words used throughout seem at times dismissive of the civilizations. For example, in Ancient Egypt, when discussing myth, one sentence reads, "...much religious activity focused on constant reiteration or repetition rather than development." Additionally, the illustrations are all in black-and-white, and many of the photographs are grainy. Perhaps this series could be used for student research but these are not books that one would read cover to cover. Many other resources present more engaging and insightful views of these civilizations.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.