Peter N. Stearns is University Professor of History at George Mason University. He is the author of Globalization in World History (2nd edition 2015), Childhood in World History (3rd edition 2015), Gender in World History (3rd edition 2015), Peace in World History (2014), and Human Rights in World History (2012), all in this series. Other books include A History of Shame (forthcoming), Guiding the American University: Challenges and Choices (2015), and Satisfaction Not Guaranteed: Dilemmas of Progress in Modern Society (2012).
With decades of research and reflection, Peter Stearns has done what he alone can do: combine balance, erudition, and nuance with clarity, succinctness, and humanity in this explanation of how industrialization has impacted modern life from childrearing, work, and play to government, religion, and warmaking across the globe. Gary S. Cross, Distinguished Professor of Modern History, Pennsylvania State University An accessible guide to the nature of industrialization and its impact, whose scope ranges from the intimacies of art and gender to the macro-historical forces of nationalism, globalization and war. Both a fine introduction to the subject and a superb resource for thematic courses in world history. Marc Jason Gilbert, NEH Endowed Chair in World History, Hawaii Pacific University