Designed to accompany Cultures of the West: Volume 1: To 1750, Third Edition (2019), and Cultures of the West: Volume 2: Since 1350, Third Edition (2019), by Clifford R. Backman, the third editions of Sources for Cultures of the West, Volume 1: To 1750 and Sources for Cultures of the West,
Volume 2: Since 1350 feature approximately six written sources per chapter that highlight key themes in the study of Western civilization. Each of the 189 sources is accompanied by a headnote. Each volume begins with a special unit, How to Read a Primary Source, that provides students with important advice on how to work with textual documents in studying the past. The third edition includes twenty-one new sources.