My Canvas, The World Keith Robbins on a monumental survey of the 20th century world Keith Robbins | Published in 30 Jun 1983 A History of the Modern World from 1917 to the 1980s by Paul Johnson 817 pp. (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1983) To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive. Buy Online Access Buy Print & Archive Subscription If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in. Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.