Clio among the Muses by
History helps us understand change, provides clues to our own identity, and hones our moral sense. But history is not a stand-alone discipline. Indeed, its own history is incomplete without recognition of its debt to its companions in the humane and social sciences. In Clio among the Muses, noted historiographer Peter Charles Hoffer relates the story of this remarkable collaboration. Hoffer traces history's complicated partnership with its coordinate disciplines of religion, philosophy, the social sciences, literature, biography, policy studies, and law. As in ancient days, when Clio was preeminent among the other eight muses, so today, the author argues that history can and should claim pride of place in the study of past human action and thought. Intimate and irreverent at times, Clio among the Muses synthesizes a remarkable array of information. Clear and concise in its review of the companionship between history and its coordinate disciplines, fair-minded in its assessment of the contributions of history to other disciplines and these disciplines' contributions to history, Clio among the Muses will capture the attention of everyone who cares about the study of history. For as the author demonstrates, the study of history is something unique, ennobling, and necessary. One can live without religion, philosophy and the rest. One cannot exist without history. Rigorously documented throughout, the book offers a unique perspective on the craft of history.
The Landscape of History by
What is history and why should we study it? Is there such a thing as historical truth? Is history a science? One of the most accomplished historians at work today, John Lewis Gaddis, answers these and other questions in this short, witty, and humane book. The Landscape of History provides asearching look at the historian's craft, as well as a strong argument for why a historical consciousness should matter to us today. Gaddis points out that while the historical method is more sophisticated than most historians realize, it doesn't require unintelligible prose to explain. Like cartographers mapping landscapes, historians represent what they can never replicate. In doing so, they combine the techniques ofartists, geologists, paleontologists, and evolutionary biologists. Their approaches parallel, in intriguing ways, the new sciences of chaos, complexity, and criticality. They don't much resemble what happens in the social sciences, where the pursuit of independent variables functioning with staticsystems seems increasingly divorced from the world as we know it. So who's really being scientific and who isn't? This question too is one Gaddis explores, in ways that are certain to spark interdisciplinary controversy. Written in the tradition of Marc Bloch and E.H. Carr, The Landscape of History is at once an engaging introduction to the historical method for beginners, a powerful reaffirmation of it for practitioners, a startling challenge to social scientists, and an effective skewering of post-modernistclaims that we can't know anything at all about the past. It will be essential reading for anyone who reads, writes, teaches, or cares about history.
What Is History? by
Who is to say how things really were? In formulating a modern answer to the question 'What is History?' Professor Carr shows that the 'facts' of history are simply those which historians have selected for scrutiny. Millions have crossed the Rubicon, but the historians tell us that only Caesar's crossing was significant. All historical facts come to us as a result of interpretative choices by historians influenced by the standards of their age. Yet if absolute objectivity is impossible, the role of the historian need in no way suffer; nor does history lose its fascination. With lucidity, Carr casts a light on the proper function of the historian and the vital importance of history in modern society. "This is an admirably stimulating and intrepid book, a bold excursion into a region of central importance where most contemporary philosophers and historians, unaccountably, either fear or disdain to tread."--Isaiah Berlin, New Statesman
Essaying the Past by
The second edition of Essaying the Past features a variety of updates and enhancements to further its standing as an indispensible resource to all aspects of researching and writing historical essays. Includes expert advice on writing about history, conducting good research, and learning how to think analytically Includes a new chapter addressing common situations that represent steps in the transition from a rough first draft to a final version Covers important topics such as framing questions, developing a strong introduction and topic sentences, choosing good evidence, and the crucial role of revision Includes an annotated case study that takes the reader through one student's process of writing an essay, illustrating how strategies in the text can be successfully implemented New edition features updates to cultural references, a newly written preface, and reorganized table of contents
Writing History Essays by
To write history successfully, it is essential to understand the nuts and bolts of technique as well as the underlying principles which are too rarely made explicit, but which govern the whole process. I.W. Mabbett carefully analyzes these principles, and takes us step-by-step through the stages of the process. He shows how history differs from other disciplines, outlines the methods of historical research and writing, and clearly illustrates their application to writing assignments, essaysand dissertations in history.
Doing History by
In this era of Twitter and text-messaging, which calls into question previously accepted notions of literacy, today's students need a new and more pragmatic approach to developing writing and research skills. While a number of guides to historical research and writing and several historicalmethodology texts have appeared in the past several years, no single text accomplishes what Doing History: An Introduction to the Historian's Craft does. Through a unique two-part organization, authors Wendy Pojmann, Barbara Reeves-Ellington, and Karen Ward Mahar offer specific assignments toidentify students' weaknesses and build their skills. They provide concrete examples of historical approaches and theories and detailed guidelines to help students complete their work within the constraints of the academic term. The text integrates the complexities of historical research and writing into a single, comprehensive narrative without compromising depth and breadth. Its lively and accessible writing style helps students grapple with sophisticated ideas while also avoiding the pitfalls that commonly entrap them asthey learn to think and write as historians. The book's intellectually engaging discussions of the discipline of history in Part One: the Historian's Craft are enriched by solid examples of published scholarship. Students preparing research projects will benefit from straightforward guidelines forthe research and writing process. In addition, the integrated workbook in Part Two: Doing History Workbook Exercises allows them to hone their skills with assessment exercises and skill-building assignments.
Going to the Sources by
It's been almost 30 years since the first edition of Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing was first published. Newly revised and updated, the sixth edition of this bestselling guide helps students at all levels meet the challenge of writing their first (or their first "real") research paper. Presenting various schools of thought, this useful tool explores the dynamic, nature, and professional history of research papers, and shows readers how to identify, find, and evaluate both primary and secondary sources for their own writing assignments. This new edition addresses the shifting nature of historical study over the last twenty years. Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing includes: A new section analyzing attempts by authors of historical works to identify and cultivate the appropriate public for their writings, from scholars appealing to a small circle of fellow specialists, to popular authors seeking mass readership A handy style guide for creating footnotes, endnotes, bibliographical entries, as well as a list of commonly used abbreviations Advanced Placement high school and undergraduate college students taking history courses at every level will benefit from the engaging, thoughtful, and down-to-earth advice within this hands-on guide.
