College Open Textbooks

The Reviews
History
The Growth of Our National Flag (1885)

Textbook: "Internet for History"

Author(s): Dr. James Moore, Deputy Director, Centre for Metropolitan History, Institute of Historical Research, University of London
Textbook URL: http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/tutorial/history/
Reviewer: Lani Smith, librarian and educator at Ohlone community college and public libraries

Average of all chapters. Maximum rating is 5.0.

Reviewer's Comments

I recommend this book for any college level or independent learner but with the reservation that most links are related to British history including resources, professional organizations, and conferences. Guides the beginning researcher to find relevant information and develop Internet research skills with a focus on academic research and evaluating sources. Part of a training "suite" with 60 tutorials on a variety of subjects and includes several methods and opportunities for interactivity including quizzes and saving Internet searches. Overall easy to navigate.

Textbook: "Outline of U.S. History" (2005)

Authors: U.S. Government Document, Revised by Alonzo M. Hamby
Textbook URL: http://www.america.gov/publications/books/history-outline.html
Reviewer: Henry (Jud) Sage, Professor Emeritus, Northern Virginia Community College

Average of all chapters. Maximum rating is 5.0.

Reviewer's Comments

I recommend this textbook for community college students. It covers the basics of American history from the colonial era through modern times. It has been in use for some time and was recently revised by a professional historian. The text is quite brief, and one might quibble over events or historic figures that have been overlooked or dealt with too briefly, but the important events are adequately covered. The text provides a basic outline of American history, as the title suggests, and is thus not intended to be a comprehensive text, even for a survey course. For its intended purpose, it is a more-than-adequate introduction to the basics of American history.

Textbook: "Academic American History -- United States History 1607-1865" (2010)

Author(s): Henry J. Sage
Textbook URL: http://www.academicamerican.com/
Reviewer: Pheo Martin, PhD., Instructor, Everett Community College

Average of all chapters. Maximum rating is 5.0.

Reviewer's Comments

I highly recommend this book. This textbook provides plenty of substance for curriculum planning. Written by a community college instructor, it draws upon years of teaching to bring relevance, appropriateness, and creativity to presenting US History. There is openness in the presentation of subject matter that greatly facilitates student engagement, group discussion, and individualized study. As for information literacy and document-based questions, this textbook provides a wealth of opportunities in the intriguing details presented. Each part is followed by a substantial number of quality primary sources, which is excellent for working with history students.

Textbook: "Academic American History -- United States History 1865-2000" (2010)

Author(s): Henry J. Sage
Textbook URL: http://www.academicamerican.com/
Reviewer: Pheo Martin, PhD., Instructor, Everett Community College

Average of all chapters. Maximum rating is 5.0.

Reviewer's Comments

I highly recommend this book. Written by a CC instructor who draws upon years of teaching to bring relevance, appropriateness, and creativity to this Second Volume of US History (1865 – 2000). As with Volume I, there is an openness to the presentation of subject matter that greatly facilitates student engagement, group discussion, and individualized study. The breadth of perspective is maintained throughout the textbook and makes for powerful presentation of subject matter. This is a textbook that provides plenty of substance for curriculum planning.

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