Peter Stearns’ latest contribution to the “Themes in World History” series examines the place of childhood in world history.

The slim volume is a succinct and deft survey that through 11 main chapters introduces the reader to the historical evolution of childhood with reference to agricultural societies, classical civilizations, the post-classical world, the pre-modern west, the modern period to 1914, the pressure of colonialism, Japanese adaptation, communist revolutions, affluent societies, war and violence, and globalisation….

The full review by Harry Hendrick is available in the latest issue of the Social History of Medicine, 20(2), 413-415.