Library Journal
Ford intended to write a three-volume work presenting ''what a normally cultured reader should know as a minimum of the history of his own day,'' the years 1880-1929. He completed only this first volume (never published), treating England, France, Germany, and the United States from 1870 to 1895 and showing the shift of the center of civilization from the Mediterranean to the North Altantic. Ford treats ''not only of diplomatic, warlike or international happenings but of the evolution of internal politics, of the arts, letters and thought, and in particular of the growth of industrialism.'' A bit less comprehensive than he suggests, with many details unfamiliar to today's reader, the book is still quite good. Probably of most interest to specialists and Ford fans.Richard Kuczkowski, Dominican Coll., Blauvelt, N.Y.