“This collection of 30 primary source documents-divided into five sections, each with a short introduction-features treaties, letters, speeches, sermons, laws, memoirs, and other documents. It focuses mainly on Europe (commencing with the Black Death, through the Reformation and its aftermath), with one section that presents seven items on the Americas (e.g., an excerpt of Bernal Diaz’s True History of the Conquest of New Spain). Each of the “Defining Documents in World History” series volumes provides the title and date of the document, geographical location, author, and its genre at the head of the entry, followed by such standard elements as summary overview, defining moment, biography of the author, document analysis, and essential themes. The documents have been translated into modern English, but there is also a helpful glossary with short definitions. Entries offer black-and-white illustrations, and although none have maps, each ends with a bibliography of print and web resources. The appendixes include a chronological list of the documents, web resources, and a bibliography.