"The Transformation of the World: A Global History of the Nineteenth Century" by Jürgen Osterhammel

For the entire scope of my study of history I've used Will Durant's Story of Civilization as my guide.  For each epic, from ancient Sumer to Napoleonic-Europe, Durant provided me with a rich overview that I then used to select specific topics to explore further through other books.  It worked brilliantly through the course of seven millennia.

Unfortunately, Durant died, bringing his Story to a close with Napoleon on St. Helena in 1821, leaving me without a guide for more recent study.

To serve as my guide for the 19th century I chose this epic book - almost 1,200 pages - written by the scholarly Osterhammel.  It's a world history, focusing on themes rather than specific events.  And it IS epic: The first 115 pages covered nothing but the definition of where and when was the 19th century.  Nicknamed the "long" 19th century, most historians actually date it from the American Revolution through and including World War I, a span of some 140 years.

One of the main points of the book is debunking the myth that the "Industrial Revolution" was the primary event of the 19th century.  After all, that's what school history books tell us, right?

I won't attempt to recap the century, but the world transformed itself in MANY ways during this time period.  Think just how different colonial America was from post World War I.  Very different, indeed.

A sampling of 19th century transitions come to mind: Global ship transport from sailing tall ships to steam ships.  Transoceanic cables connecting virtually every city in the world in real time.  Candlelight to electric lighting.  The end of China's ascendancy in isolation through its deflection of Western interactions.  The beginning of Japan's ascendancy through its acceptance of the West.  Africa's (almost) complete colonialization under European powers.  South and Central America's many revolutions to shake off its colonial entrapment.  Britain's rise to global supremacy.  The dramatic rise and improvements in science.  Rapid growth in literacy.  Modern nations formed.  The widespread rule of law took shape.  Slavery ended around the world.

The list goes on and on.  Everything accelerated and much improved.  And although it ended with World War I, the 19th century was one of the most peaceful around the globe for several hundred years prior.

Where do I go from here?  Beyond the American Civil War, which looms large in the near future, this great book gave me many areas to explore.  I made a list, including Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire, a history of the Ottoman Empire, German unification, Italian unification, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Qing Dynasty China and a complete history of Russia.  That ought to keep me busy for a while.