Reviews (6)

must read for the historically minded
John Lewis Gaddis has done all who read or make history a great service with his reflections on history:what it is and is not, its limitations, its purposes, its biases.As someone who gets paid for producing historical studies, I found this book particularly helpful with its insights.There are very few jarring notes--the worst being that Gaddis says he agrees with postmodernists that "all our bases for evaluating behavior [i.e. making moral judgments] are themselves artifacts of behavior."Ignore this bit of confusion and enjoy the rest, which is eminently lucid.I particularly liked his comparing what the historian does to what a cartographer does in making a map:first, choosing what landscape to depict, what the emphases will be, and what to leave out.I also liked his comparison of history as a discipline with sciences like paleontology, geology, and astronomy--where experiments cannot be conducted except in the mind.Overall, a significant book; highly recommended.

a unique glimpse into the mind of a master historian
A brief, but entirely enjoyable book on the craft of history.John Lewis Gaddis's book is really a collection of speeches he gave during a visiting professorship at Oxford.The speeches center on the art and science of historical research. He challenges the view held by many social scientists that downplay historians as storytellers whose craft lack the rigor of the scientific method.Gaddis claims that the historical method is more complex that most realize and that historians have more in common with evolutionary biologists and astronomers than economists and political scientists.Despite the academic nature of the subject, the chapters are very readable, since they were written as speeches.The only downside was his attempts at pop-culture humor in an attempt to seem hip to the Oxford audience.A man of his standing in the field of Soviet history has nothing to prove to a bunch of British 19-year olds.
Brilliant Treatise on History as a "Denied Area"
He is bluntly critical of the political science and social science communities, branding them with an inability to engage in methodical research or articulation. History is a "denied area." When we combine our current lack of appreciation of history across all the disciplines, with our long track record of disdain for religion and culture as fundamental aspects of the total intelligence picture, we must recognize that we have created many "virtual denied areas" for ourselves, Islam being but one of many. In that vein, this book can be considered a primer on how to go about understanding a "denied area" by substituting analytic tradecraft for the multiplicity of sources that characterize the more obvious targets of our interest. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. United States - General    6. History / Historiography    7. History, American    8. USA   

Reviews (13)

Inhuman History (In Spanish)
En Thousand Years of Non-Linear History, podemos diferenciar tres aspectos para tratar la historia:
A Thousand Re-Readings
Just re-read this for the third time straight through (I've dipped in and out many other times). This is indispensable work. The sections on the growth of cities, creoles and the history of language, and the Body Without Organs still dazzle me.

Gibberish
The author is trying to communicate with us, but Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Geology    3. Historiography    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History Of Science    7. Nonlinear theories    8. Philosophy    9. Philosophy & Social Aspects    10. Philosophy Of Science    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. World - General    14. History / General    15. History: theory & methods    16. Western philosophy    17. World history   

Reviews (2)

Highly sophisticated
Hayden White's METAHISTORY is a sophisticated analysis of historical methodology in the nineteenth century. A must for any historian
Hayden White's Metahistory takes the reader deeply into the winding roads of history writing. From Hegel to Croce, he reviews and analizes the many different ways history was written in the nineteenth century and it's impact and influence in today's historiography. A must for any historian, but a little too deep - and perhaps boring-for those not familiar with history's theory and philosophy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - General History    5. Philosophy    6. Semiotics & Theory   

Reviews (5)

An astonishing achievement!!!
This is, without question, Breisach's magnum opus.From Herodotus to Hegel, and from Bancroft to Collingwood, Breisach offers the student of history a cogent history of historiography.While it is probably best suited for graduate students and advanced undergraduates, it should be required reading for "history buffs", History Channel producers, and David McCullough.
Immigrants into the future
When I studied for the MA, this book (and John Lukacs' "Historical Consciousness") had the greatest influence on my developed historiography. THE BEST
The history of history as a discipline (historiography) tends to be a boring topic. One of my teachers even told me never to take a course in it. Professional historians tend to avoid the subject like the plague. This has left it in the hands of amateurs, even though some of those amateurs have been geniuses in their own disciplines.Read more

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. History / Historiography   

Editorial Review

"Only barbarians are not curious about where they come from, how they came to be where they are, where they appear to be going, whether they wish to go there, and if so, why, and if not, why not." So wrote Isaiah Berlin in "The Pursuit of the Ideal," the semiautobiographical essay that commences Read more

Reviews (8)

Advice from Chapter 2
Going by the reviews that read below this one, I've decided to deliver a useful note for the prospective reader. If however you are well versed in the philosophers of the 18th-20th century, you might like to skip my review. I've yet to complete Berlin's anthology of essays as I've taken a time out to understand each of his referenced philosphers that he lists ever so extensively throughout just the 1st 2 chapters. To clearly comprehend Berlin's arguments, it is effective to consider the thoughts of most if not all the arguments he has referenced from a list of great thinkers from the 18th century. Since I have made the effort to do so, Berlin's thoughts have been raising out of the book with such greater clarity, permitting a far more entertaining read despite his solemn context.
I shouldn't pay any attention to the review below mine.
The review written below can only be the work of someone who hates the English language. Saying that Isaiah Berlin is verbose is like saying that Michael Jordan has long legs.
Verbose and weak
If you want to get to the chief ideas of Berlin, buy THE HEDGEHOG AND THE FOX as a stand-alone book; do not waste your money on this highly verbose and repetitious book.
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Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Essays    3. Historiography    4. History    5. History & Surveys - General    6. History & Surveys - Modern    7. Human beings    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Philosophical anthropology    10. Philosophy    11. Philosophy Of Anthropology    12. Philosophy Of History    13. Social Science    14. Sociology   

Reviews (3)

How to research 101
A must have for writers looking to explore the world of American Indians through Academia. This book makes a great place to start for any writers outside the world of the American Indian because it informs from the perspective necessary to invoke change in the poorly and mainly Euroview of the American experience. The essays are insightful and informative and I found the bibliographies at the ends of each chapter a gift that only research freaks like me could enjoy. Thanks for the direction and how about a Volume 2?

required reading for all students in humanities
Professor Mihesuah does an excellent job, as writer and editor, promoting a new model for American Indian studies, one more cognizant that the scientific/historical assumptions of the academy are themselves culturallyloaded against a just understanding and representation of American Indians. Personally, I think this is true of much modern culture as well; onereason academics have such a hard time figuring out what to do with (andhow to talk about) rock and roll, for instance, is that it doesn't quitefit the categories western civilization has developed so far. This is afine collection of essays, one that should be required reading for all PhDcandidates in the humanities.

Required reading for ALL academics
Aside from the excellent job Professor Mihesuah does (both as writer andeditor) in presenting the case for creating a different model forunderstanding American Indian history and culture, the essays here offer amuch needed balance to academic presumptions about the primacy ofscientific (as it were) fact.Should be required reading for all Ph.D.candidates in the humanities. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Issues    2. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    3. Historiography    4. History    5. History: American    6. Indians of North America    7. Native American    8. Native Americans - History    9. Research    10. Study and teaching    11. Indigenous peoples    12. Social research & statistics    13. USA   

Reviews (1)

Thorough, Generous, Beautifully Illustrated
This book is unique in its balance of primary sources and their interpretations. All the figures you'd expect are present: Macchiavelli, Luther, Locke, Paine, Engles, Freud, etc. And with secondary sources coming from Fromm, Ulam, et. al, the data is clearly and comprehensively analyzed. What readers will appreciate are the generous illustrations throughout the text which give you some idea how the philosophies/theories/values of the times are reflected in visual media. What some readers won't appreaciate is the single-spaced type that changes font and styles so often that one might get motion sickness. It's a minor point that has nothing to do with the value of the texts presented, but it does interfere with the pleasure of reading. Still, this is a great history book to teach from or just as a casual read/refresher for the history fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Civilization, Western    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Sources    8. World - General    9. American history    10. Europe    11. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    12. Historiography    13. North America    14. Other Geographical Groupings, Oceans & Seas    15. World history   

Reviews (3)

Excellent resource
Amazingly enough, I don't know Dr. Rampolla, but that won't stop me from adding my praise for this little gem of a book. Clearly and concisely written, this slim guide covers the important aspects of the study of history. From evaluating sources to documenting the sources you've found, it's a marvelous little tool for students.Don't leave home for your next history class without this book.

Good manual for footnote and bibliographical help
Whenever I have a history paper due, this book is right there by my side.I've used it for non-history classes as well.It'sa handy tool for creating effective footnotes and bibliographies.

Great Guide from a Great Teacher
This is a great intro to writing history papers and any research paper in general.Dr. Rampolla is one of my favorite teachers and I know from experience that she definitly knows what she is talking about in her book. The new edition is even better with a guide to researching over the internet!I would recommend this to anyone who like me writes a lot of research papers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History - General History    3. Literary Criticism    4. Reference   

Editorial Review

At its peak in the nineteenth century, the British Empire was the largest empire ever known, governing roughly a quarter of the world's population. In Read more

Reviews (58)

Rule, Brittania

consise treatment of an otherwise daunting subject
I am not accustomed to reading books on history.This book is ideal for someone like me.At only 380 pages, this book does not intimidate, yet draws the reader in, and gives him an overview and basic understanding of how the British Empire came about (mostly by accident) and how it came to an end (WW1 and WW2).In between it offers interesting chapters on America, Africa and India.In particular the section on the Indian Raj has inspired me to pursue other books on this topic.
harmless time waster
This is a kind of casual time wasting stroll with a chipper professor of no great consequence, with his good decorum, correct opinions (eugenics is "snake-oil science", Kitchener was a butcher etc.) and dreadful witticims (on fishing being more important than religion in early Mass. "it was cod not God"). Fergie hassome interesting stuff on the beginnings of Empire (stealing gold from the Spanish) and how the heck Britain acquired India in the early days (by way of the East India Company, kind of an old day Halliburton with a private army). However past about 1880 it all becomes rather slipshod, complete with the oft regurgitated Churchill's personal observations on the Boer War and Sudan (if you have read "The Last Lion" by William Manchester you'll recognise the quotations) and stuff that seems clearly lifted from "A Peace to End all Peace" (albeit this is speculation as footnotes and citations of quoted materials are clearly not for philosopher kings like Mr Ferguson).
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Subjects:  1. British influences    2. Civilization, Modern    3. Colonies    4. Europe - Great Britain - General    5. Great Britain    6. Historiography    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Imperialism    11. World - Colonial Studies    12. World - General   

Reviews (3)

Very helpful introduction
History used to be a subject that one could view as somewhat ancillary, as an interesting subject but one that was not really needed to function in the modern world. One could dispense with studying history and still maintain a proper perspective of world events. Any inaccuracies in the reporting of world events were the responsibility of reporters, and historians were viewed in general as occupiers of an ivory tower. They were held to be trustworthy because not much weight was assigned to their scholarly activities.
A book every graduate student and historian should have.
Finding the right sources for a book, article, paper, or project is much more difficult than it seems.Every subject generally has a large list of material available for use.But in order to generate a significant contribution to this field, historians need to sort out the reliable sources that fit their topic.From Reliable Sources helps this process by producing a "guideline" to finding the best material and how it can be put to use.This book is a useful guide to the various techniques professional historians have devised for analyzing sources.It gets across the point of finding the best sources in order to produce quality historical scholarship.
Always check out your source of information
History writing is usually considered to have begun with the Greek Herodotus in the 4th century BC with his efforts to distinguish between myth and verifiable stories and that has been the basic problem of writing history ever since. In his history of the Gallic Wars Julius Caesar celebrated the military power of the Romans, along with his own formidable talents as a military leader. Livy fed Roman chauvinism with a history that celebrated eight proud centuries of the Roman past. Thucydides, Polybius, Sallust, Plutarch and Suetonius each brought their own approach or treatment of characters. Augustine portrayed history as an enactment of God's plan. Others wrote accounts to convince readers of the justice of a cause while Guibert of Nogent painted Mohammed in the worst possible light, not caring if the tales were true but only if they helped his case. Matthias Flacius Illyricus's chief purpose was to demonstrate that the Roman Church's claim to be the direct heir of first-century Christianity had no historical basis. Medieval historiography was designed to serve Christianity and in the Middle Ages historians entered the service of lords, monarchs and the state where their primary task was to create glorious pasts, fabricate evidence or select information to give legitimacy to the elite to whom it was offered.

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History    3. History - General History    4. Methodology    5. Philosophy    6. Research    7. History: theory & methods   

Reviews (1)

Tosh explains an often obtuse topic well
Early in his book, Tosh explains that "[h]ow the past is known and how it is applied to present need are open to widely varying approaches."'Pursuit of History' is a solid effort by Tosh to trace the origins of historical study and the methodologies that have evolved over time.He explains the difference between popular history and academic history and explains the importance of the latter.The first half of the book is dedicated to showing how historians should properly do their work, including how to find and use sources as well as how to write and interpret historical findings.All are well covered.The second half of the book is much more philisophical in tone.Tosh tackles a number of questions relating to objectivity, true knowledge and the reliability of so-called facts.Simply put, he describes the battle between those who believe history is a cumulative discipline and those who view it ass a relative and interpretive excercise as well as all of those with positions in between.Most importantly, he defends the discipline's viability and importance against those who attack it, including the postmodernists (though he doesn't dismiss all of the postmodernist contributions to the field).His notes and references are plentiful and he is fair with each of the "schools" of history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Historiography    6. History / General   

Reviews (1)

Tour de Force
This is a fantastic survey of the problems (and joys) of writing histories of the ancient Near East. This book rewards both novices and scholars in the field! The author is obviously familiar with the most up to datescholarship in Assyriology. The treatment of issues relating tointellectual history and the role of women in antiquity are expeciallysatisfying. Accessible and brief, the editors of the series are to becommended for inlcuding this treatment of the cuneiform world! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Cuneiform inscriptions    3. Cuneiform tablets    4. Historiography    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Iraq    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Linguistics    11. Sources    12. To 634    13. Ancient Near East    14. History / Ancient / General    15. Mesopotamia    16. Palaeography (history of writing)   

Editorial Review

Australian scholar Keith Windschuttle is one of the fieriest participants in the debate about the practice of history. In Read more

Reviews (46)

Superb work for anyone interested in how history is being rewritten.
Professor Windschuttle exposes the dangers of using structuralism, poststructuralism, postmodernism, cultural relativism and the like as tools for doing history. By quoting extensively from those he takes issue with, taking time to clarify the mumbo-jumbo used by some of these theorists, and explaining his reasoning and conclusions in plain English, the author has made it vastly simpler for the average person to comprehend these radical approaches and why they are so dangerous to truth. One could write more, but it would only be restating much of what has already been said.

Exposing the "emperor's new clothes" of "intellectual" snobs
As a student of history, I found mr. Windschuttle's book very useful in understanding how the minds of "intellectual" snobs work, from where they get their bizarre thoughts and why it's important to fight for the maintenance of History as a serious academic discipline. Sure the author may seem too right-wing-orientated for some people as he tends to portray indigenous people as brutal savages and the anglo-saxon culture as inerrant; but mr. Windschuttle's personal thoughts on civilisation is not really the point with this book. Then of course some parts of the book can be difficult to understand as it deals with advanced philosphy and heavy scientific theory, but otherwise it's easy to follow. The emperor has no clothes - the postmodern philosophers writes illogical mumbo-jumbo that even small children can see through...

Loved it
I found this book recently in a secondhand store, and couldn't put it down. This book has been reviewed extensively already so I just want to mention a couple of things.
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Subjects:  1. Historicism    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Philosophy Of History    7. History / General   

Reviews (20)

The Real Deal!
I confess that I have heard of this classic for years and never made an attempt to read it until recently. It is a classic because it has stood the test of time. It is an outstanding account of the Greek Mercinaries who fought with Cyris in the 5th century BC. Although it reads much differently than a novel it is much more fascinating when you know that the words are written by the man who really participated in this epic adventure and survived to tell his story. I highly reccomend it to anyone who is interested in classsical warfare of just likes a good adventure story of men enduring extremehardship and winning the battle in the end. You will not be disappointed.

brilliant story
It's a brilliant story, an epic hard to be found in other forms of literature throughout the world. Enjoyable, readable.
Greatest Story Ever Told?
Arguably the greatest military memoir ever written as well as the one of the greatest adventure stories ever told.Xenophon shows himself to be both a strong, fair leader and a humble person as he recounts the retreat from enemy territory. I understand there was a time when this was part of a mandatory curriculum in schools. How far we have fallen. Anabasis is a great story for all ages and would be a wise choice as a gift for young readers ( even if the younger ones need some help from their parents). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Greece    2. Ancient Greece - History    3. Ancient and Classical    4. Historiography    5. Literary Criticism    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics    8. Ancient Greece    9. Cyrus    10. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    11. Hellenic languages    12. Other prose: classical, early & medieval   

Reviews (5)

A short and quality book about history
John Arnold has written an excellent book about history and what history is really all about. History is an argument and Arnold points out some of the issues throughout history (was history created by a great person or did a great event make a person seem great?). It's an easy and very informative read for history majors and non-history majors. It will make you think about history in a new way and provides great information about how and why history is so very important to all of us.

A Thoughtful and Valuable Essay
John Arnold shares his passions and cautions about the joys,relevance and sometime misuses of history.The reader is treated to a visit with a true intellectual.

A Short History of History
Arnold takes 'historiography' to be the process of writing history, and 'history' to be the result of that process, i.e. to be a set of true stories about the past.If you enjoy reading history, then you should read at least something about historiography, to help you evaluate and interpret what you read.This short introduction to the subject is probably as good a place as any to start and for many readers will be as much historiography as they think they need.
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Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History, Methodology    5. History: World    6. Philosophy    7. Philosophy Of History    8. History / General    9. History, World   

Subjects:  1. Editing    2. English language    3. Historiography    4. History - General History    5. Methodology    6. Oral history    7. Reference    8. Transcription    9. Social Science / Methodology   

Reviews (5)

Fascinating and Well-Written
If you liked any of Howard Zinn's books, you'll like this.Trouillot's analysis of historiography goes far beyond "history is written by the victors" to talk about the deliberate and systematic way that some voices, events, and narratives are excluded from the dominant historical record.If the first section is a little too theoretical (and, for me, it was), the heart of the book is three examples, focussing on the Sans Souci, a Haitian revolutionary; the Haitian revolution itself; and Columbus' arrival on the shores of America.These sections themselves, apart from their theoretical buttressing, are fascinating studies of historiography.A wonderful book.

Thought-provoking and essential reading
Troulloit's broad vision of both the past and the process by which we write about the past informs this immensely impressive series of essays.While not for the general reader, students of history and anthropology as well as professional academics will love this succinct, jargon-free approach to the most essential questions of historiography.

In-Depth Look at Historical Production
Trouillot sets out to answer the question: How is history produced? And he does a reasonably good job in at least laying a framework for discussing such a complicated issue. He seeks a middle-ground between what he calls positivist historicity and constructivist historicity, arguing, in effect, that past events did indeed happen the way they happened but also that our memories, stories, myths about them greatly influence our understanding of them. Using as case studies the Haitian Revolution, Sans Souci (a Haitian slave turned colonel) and Columbus Day, he then attempts to show how certain aspects of events have been silenced by those in power. Trouillot succeeds in many ways; he explores issues with ample caution, gives a fine critical survey of the snags and hazy areas involved in the topic, and pins down a number of useful conceptual tools (such as the different stages in historical production at which facts might be silenced). Where he falls short, however, is ironically in his inadequate appreciation of the inherent selectivity of history - the reality that silences are necessary, inescapable, and even desirable. (By studying Beethoven's life we thereby, and properly, "silence" the life of some unexceptional contemporary). Trouillot's goal, beyond investigating the nature of historical production, is to demonstrate that those creating Western history have been biased and wrong in silencing the stories he's presently exposing. He backs up this claim with zero evidence; in spending so much time showing what has been silenced he never gets around to offering his view of what SHOULD be silenced. Thus, as purely an exploration into the process of historical production, "Silencing the Past" largely succeeds (although here too a better emphasis would be how and why facts are accepted rather than how and why facts are silenced - same theme, more fruitful orientation). The value judgments Trouillot occasionally slips into, however, are out of place and groundless. All aside, "Silencing the Past" is a challenging read and a quite thoughtful account of historical production. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    2. General    3. Historicism    4. Historiography    5. History    6. History: World    7. Philosophy    8. Power (Social sciences)    9. Sociology    10. History / General    11. World history    12. Haiti