The Human Record is a leading collection of primary sources for world history courses and can be used as either a core or supplementary text. Unlike many world history texts that center on the West, The Human Record provides balanced coverage of the global past. The book features both written and artifactual sources placed in their full historical contexts through introductory essays, footnotes, and focus questions. Each volume in the Fifth Edition begins with a prologue-"Primary Sources and How We Read Them"-that introduces students to the proper methods for reading and interpreting primary source material; the authors also walk students through sample visual and textual sources to help them master this skill. Part, chapter, section, and individual source introductions help students place primary sources within a historical context. New! Approximately one-third of the selections in each volume are new to this edition, and many of the remaining sources contain updated explanations and focus questions. New! The final chapter in Volume II has been revised to include coverage of recent global events such as the September 11th attacks. "Questions for Analysis," which precede each source, are presented in a three-tiered format that resembles a historian s approach to source analysis. Each volume contains a Table of Contents organized by topical and geographical criteria. Several visual sources, such as photos of coins, sculptures, paintings, and textiles, are provided in each volume.