Ober picks a truly monumental event in European history for his essay. Other milestones of European history to be found here include the crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor (by co-editor Rabb), the last gasp of the Spanish Armada (Geoffrey Parker, Ohio State University), and the signing of the October Manifesto by Tsar Nicholas II (Richard Pipes, Harvard).
But the book also includes several lesser-known moments, including a few that we wouldn't normally associate with "history," per se. Katherine Duncan-Jones (Oxford) writes about a command performance of Shakespeare's Richard II by a disgruntled nobleman plotting against Queen Elizabeth. Ross King discusses the work of Edouard Manet, namely his work in the famous "Salon des Refuses" of 1863, which was a landmark in art history and forever changed the role of art in popular culture. But the most unique is the story by Freeman Dyson (Princeton), who looks at the effects of modern scientists (namely the unheralded Fritz Zwicky) to debunk the Aristotelian theories that lay behind classical astronomy and physics.
Not every essay is a winner, but there's enough intriguing material here to delight anyone with an interest in history. For those with a passing interest, the short, vivid essays will serve as a great primer on the European world. And for the experts, even, it is always useful to look at different historical perspectives — especially from these writers, whose expertise is quite impressive.
Hollinshead and Rabb also collaborated on a similar book about American history. I haven't read it yet, but I will soon. I love the idea behind these books and hope there are more to come.
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