Building Western Civilization: From the Advent of Writing to the Age of Steam (ISBN 0-15-500115-9) is a history book written by Alan I. Marcus in 1998.
The book discusses western history from 3500 BC to 1715 AD. It has an emphasis on technological history and political history and is considered to be an introductory overview.
Famous quotes containing the words building, western, advent, writing, age and/or steam:
“The real dividing line between early childhood and middle childhood is not between the fifth year and the sixth year—it is more nearly when children are about seven or eight, moving on toward nine. Building the barrier at six has no psychological basis. It has come about only from the historic-economic-political fact that the age of six is when we provide schools for all.”
—James L. Hymes, Jr. (20th century)
“It is said that some Western steamers can run on a heavy dew, whence we can imagine what a canoe may do.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)
“The importance to the writer of first writing must be out of all proportion of the actual value of what is written.”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)
“Men and women approaching retirement age should be recycled for public service work, and their companies should foot the bill. We can no longer afford to scrap-pile people.”
—Maggie Kuhn (b. 1905)
“Now that the steam engine rules the world, a title is an absurdity, still I am all dressed up in this title. It will crush me if I do not support it. The title attracts attention to myself.”
—Stendhal [Marie Henri Beyle] (1783–1842)