Best Txtbook for AP Euro?

Test Preparation AP History & Social Sciences
1

Hello fellow CC’ers,</p>

I’m going to be a Senior next year and I realized that the best way to guarantee a 5 on an AP exam is to prepare over the Summer. I plan to buy a textbook and read/take notes over the Summer. For students who have taken AP Euro in the past, which book/review book do you recommend? I am primarily looking for a textbook that I can take notes from. I want to get ahead with my note assignments for next year so I won’t be overwhelmed. Below is a list of history (Euro) textbooks from college board:</p>

Chambers, Mortimer, et al. The Western Experience. New York: McGraw-Hill.</p>

Coffin, Judith G., and Robert C. Stacey. Western Civilizations. New York: W. W. Norton.</p>

Hunt, Lynn, et al. The Making of the West. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.</p>

Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. The Western Heritage. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.</p>

Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. The Western Heritage. TLC (brief) edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.</p>

Kishlansky, Mark, Patricia O’Brien, and Patrick Geary. Civilization in the West. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Longman.</p>

McKay, John P., Bennett D. Hill, and John Buckler. A History of Western Society Since 1400. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.</p>

Merriman, John. A History of Modern Europe: From the Renaissance to the Present. New York: W. W. Norton.</p>

Noble, Thomas F. X., et al. Western Civilization: Beyond Boundaries. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.</p>

Palmer, R. R., Joel Colton, and Lloyd Kramer. A History of the Modern World. New York: McGraw-Hill.</p>

Perry, Marvin. Western Civilization: A Brief History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.</p>

Perry, Marvin, et al. Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.</p>

Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.</p>

Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: A Brief History. Vol. 2, Since 1500. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.</p>

2

<p>they are all pretty bad in my oppinion. most of them are general aren’t reflective of a real college textbook, but i would recommend the John merriman book. Google it. My teacher uses it for our class its pretty amazing and FULL of information</p>

3

<p>I’d personally recommend the Spielvogel.</p>

4

<p>I’d go with The Western Experience, both volumes.</p>

5

<p>Go with McKay’s A History of Western Society Since 1400. I used it it my class last year, and absolutely loved it. I did get a 5 on the exam.</p>

6

<p>Our class used Kagan this year, and we all hated it. I don’t know what the other textbooks are like, but whatever you do, don’t get the Kagan one.</p>

7

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>My 10th grader daughter took AP Euro last school year. Her school district used the Kagan textbook, which her class read until the last couple of units (WWI and forward). Then the teacher used chapters of the McKay book. My daughter said that the McKay book was definitely an easier (more user-friendly) read. Also, the McKay book has an excellent companion website and publisher-sponsored chapter outlines. Regardless, she finished the class with a high A. </p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>