Western man and the modern world

About this book

This is the title of possibly the first true multi-media publishing project for secondary schools. I was the originator, directing editor and finally the publishing manager for the publisher the late and infamous Robert Maxwell of Pergamon Press. The "package" consisted of 5 student textbooks, 5 sets of historical documents, 25 sound filmstrips and Teacher's Manual. Leonard James was Head of History at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass, USA, a school for highly intelligent students. I was on his staff but recruited him to write the book. The consultant was Jean KixMiller of New Trier Township High School just North of Chicago and the art director was Sandi Hughes-Jones (now Ward). Everything about the project was new in that we broke most of the established rules of USA school publishing of the time. The text is full of relevant maps and illustrations, the typography (by Carl Zahn of Boston Museum of Fine Arts) was radical, the sound filmstrips used 10,000 pictures and the soundtracks were performed by male and female actors directed by the legendary Reggie Smith of the BBC.