Reviews (3)

Evolution of Historical Thought
Mark Gilderhus' book is a concise look at the evolution of historical research and reporting in a well written, easy to read format which brings life to a less than exciting subject.I was assigned this book for a graduate course on historiography.History and Historians is a good companion to David Fischer's Historians' Fallacies, Davidson and Lytle's After the Fact and Richard Evans' In Defense of History.

Great overview
This short book does a good job of providing an overview of Western historical thinking from Herodotus and Thucydides to the modern period.The first chapter is a brief discussion of why we study history to begin with: curiosity, a need to bring order to the world, identify cause and effect, study the identity of a people, calculate the consequences of our actions, and to provide society's memory.
Concise and Informative
An excellent book introducing the origins of historical thought, the changing ideas and methods of history, and the challenges of history in the postmodern era.Also, the introduction provides a great discussion on the importance of studying history.A very understandable and readable book,only 135 pages.I recommend it highly for anyone interested in studyinghistorical philosophy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Historians    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: American    6. Methodology    7. Philosophy    8. History / General    9. Topics in philosophy    10. USA   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Methodology    7. Oral history    8. Reference    9. Social Science / Methodology    10. Social research & statistics   

Reviews (1)

Indispensable for students of the American South
This volume is both comprehensive and fresh, consolidating the best and newest scholarship on the history of the American South.The editor, John B. Boles, is perhaps the foremost authority on current southern scholarship, and he has hand-picked the author of each chapter so that the subjects are treated by the best-qualified historians.The book is designed to provide the reader a brief overview of virtually every field of southern history, and it directs the reader to the most important works on each subject.Example topics include Native Americans in the South, the Civil War, Populism, Jim Crow, Women, Environmental history, and Civil Rights.Any person wishing to gain familiarity with southern history will benefit from this book, and graduate students preparing for exams may find it worth its weight in gold.The companion is part of a larger series offered by Blackwell Publishers, and promises to serve as the guide to secondary readings in southern history for years to come. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. United States - State & Local - South    7. American history    8. History / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)    9. SOUTHERN STATES_HISTORY    10. Southeastern & South Atlantic states   

Editorial Review

Even as academics increasingly break down the historical profession into areas of subspecialization, Read more

Reviews (6)

Mindful of Great History
This was my first audio book. Purchased from Amazon (because they delivered overseas) to keep me company on my daily metropolitan Tokyo commute from Uraga-Cho to Yokosuka Naval Base.
Interaction with Great Minds
Perhaps you saw the television programs or have viewed the videos of one or more of them. Perhaps you have listened to the audiocassettes. In any event, this book consists of a series of thought-provoking questions posed by Roger Mudd which are answered by five of our nation's most eminent historians: Stephen Ambrose, David McCullough, James McPherson, Richard White, and Gordon Wood. Their respective subjects are: Shows How to Make History Come Alive!
This book is a fabulous resource for those of us who have tried to explain why the study of history is so important.The "interviewees" show that the best way to present history is by "story telling"about the lives of real people rather than making a dry recitation offacts.All of them are extreemly enthusiastic about their subjects. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Historians    2. Historical - General    3. Historiography    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History - U.S.    7. History: American    8. Interviews    9. Reference    10. United States    11. United States - General    12. United States History (General)    13. American history    14. History / General    15. USA   

Subjects:  1. Atlases, Historical    2. Civilization    3. Classics    4. Fiction    5. Historiography    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History Of Civilization And Culture (General)    9. History: World    10. Literature: Classics    11. Philosophy    12. World - General    13. History / World    14. History, World    15. World history   

Reviews (10)

Reflections by a great Historian
This book of reflections by a master historian (and victim of the Nazis, which cut short his illustrious career), is not of the same order magnitude of a philosopher-historian like R. G. Collingwood (who made use of Bloch's work on France in the medieval period), but it contains many insights and historical remarks that make it interesting and informative. A Historian's Craft
Marc Bloc's style of writing (or the translation) is extremely complicated. At many times, I had to re-read many paragraphs two to three times, just to get a gist of what he was trying to express. Master of His Craft
To Marc Blanc, the craft of history is an endeavor not to be taken lightly.It is far from a trivial indulgence of human curiosity but a serious science, in fact, "the most difficult of all the sciences."The Historian's Craft is Bloch's portrait of the paragon of history as well as a road map for striving toward that ideal.

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History - General History    3. Study & Teaching    4. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    5. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General   

Reviews (1)

Professor Ritter Rules!
I took several classes from Doctor Ritter, and found his lectures to be the best-organized of any professor I've yet had.The benefits of this lecture style are also found in his Dictionary, which can be used as acorollary to anyone interested in studying history (esp. that of modernEurope). It is a great way to easily familiarize yourself with politicaltrends, social theories, movements, and more. ... Read more

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

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. China    3. Guo yu    4. Historiography    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Spring and Autumn period, 722-    9. Spring and Autumn period, 722-481 B.C.    10. Zuoqiu, Ming    11. Zuoqiu, Ming.    12. Asian / Middle Eastern history: BCE to c 500 CE    13. Chinese    14. History / China    15. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval   

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History    3. History & Surveys - General    4. Philosophy    5. History of ideas, intellectual history    6. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys    7. Western philosophy   

Reviews (1)

Socially Constructed Ontology
The possibilities of what can be found to be true or become true have opened up with our advance in technology. There are things that we can make true today that have never been true before. (Idea from Hacking interpreting Foucault). This might also be called Darwinizing Ontology with reference to "Darwinizing Culture: The Status of Memetics As a Science" - by Robert Aunger. So this is still one more the evolution narrative is being used to convert our previous understanding.
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Subjects:  1. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    2. Historiography    3. History & Surveys - Modern    4. History - General History    5. Philosophy    6. History: theory & methods    7. Philosophy / Modern   

Reviews (42)

Finkelstein Review
So far the book is structured in a sound manner and delves into the oft neglected portions of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Finkelstein references a plethora of sources, Israeli and otherwise that lend credence to his thesis. I recommend this to anyone that wants a more cogent and coherent view of the dilemma taking place in Middle East.

Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, New and Revised Edition
This book is an essential corrective to the flood of propaganda which is the only thing that ever reaches most people. I feel fortunate indeed to have the chance to see for myself how we have been misled and what the truth of this pivotal and central issue really is. Once again, Norman Finkelstein provides us with a most compelling account of the enormous discrepancy between what we think we know and what is really going on. This should be required reading for anyone who wants to know the truth of what is going on in the Middle East and what it has to do with us.

Finkelstein is a revisionist historian and this book, sucks
Read this book only if you are
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Subjects:  1. General    2. International Relations - General    3. Middle East - General    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Armed conflict    9. Diplomacy    10. Historiography    11. Israel    12. Palestine   

Reviews (12)

450 pages too long
The author had a great idea for a book.He collected enough 'meat' for about 30-50 pages and then exploded it into almost 500 pages of boring talk, so typical of many historians.
Excellent historically-informed philosophy from a great mind
Surprisingly, the other reviewers on this site seem to have missed the point of the book. The point is that our perceptions of nature are not merely historically informed, but historically constituted. The irrespressable Lithuanian Bison was the formative metaphor for the Lithuanian pagan cultural ideal of freedom. Ultimately, it's a cultural case for the preservation of wilderness because that wilderness is part of who we are in the deepest sense. Agree or disagree with Schama's thesis, but you should try to comprehend the book before you review it. Personally, I think it's brilliant.

A must read
This is one book "to keep besides you" for ever. Each of the esays is so engaging that you are sorry to see it coming to a close. The essay on foutains "water paths" at Casserta and Versailles have changed my view for-ever. I only wish to visit or re-visit the paces mentioned with tis book in hand to really appreciate them with a more cultured view. ... Read more

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

Reviews (4)

Interesting look at the history of fires
I bought this book for my brother (a volunteer firefighter) for Christmas and when I received it I could not help but take a peek at it myself.
Over 500 photos capture key moments in fire history
Jack Gottschalk's Firefighting is a lavish coffee table title which provides a rich documentary of the history of firefighting, from early technological accomplishments which created fire-fighting equipment to modern times. Over 500 photos capture key moments in fire history around the world, while special insights on the science and physics of fires makes for an excellent survey of fire-fighting challenges.

65 of history's greatest fires
Or would that be "disasters!"
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Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Disasters & Disaster Relief    3. Fire extinction    4. Fire fighting    5. Fires    6. General    7. History    8. History: World    9. Juvenile literature    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Volunteer Work    12. History / Historiography   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Criticism    4. Historiography    5. History - General    6. History Of Fine Arts    7. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    8. Theory of art   

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History    3. History: World   

Reviews (5)

An excellent and well-written overview.
One of the great revelations I had in college many, many years ago occurred in the stacks of the library. I was doing some research on Wilhelm Dilthey and found myself looking at several thousands of books devoted to the history of philosophy. At that moment I began to have some idea on how difficult it is to acquire a magisterial overview of any field of inquiry. It takes a lifetime of study and the mastery of several languages to develop have such an overview. And sadly, that knowledge sometimes gets pored into a book that relatively few people ever read. excellent
It narrates the historiographical approach in an unbiased way. It helps an average student to realize the history of historical writing in modern world.

Trends in history
Iggers examines basic trends in how history is written. The book looks at how social sciences transformed historiography after WWII. Iggers describes a trend in the postmodern discipline towards a microhistory, culturalhistory as well as the history of the common man. An interesting read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Modern - 20th Century    6. 20th century    7. Historiography    8. History / General   

Reviews (2)

history
This review is necesary for understand the History Teory, it's more importand for thaformation of de Historian

history
This review is necesary for understand the History Teory, it's more importand for thaformation of de Historian ... Read more

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

Reviews (1)

How records of the past fuel the present
Public History: Essays From The Field provides twenty-six essays by a variety of learned authors, discussing the varieties of work in which public historians are engaged in today and the places in which they practice. From contract historians who serve as consultants, to film and media producers who bring history to the big screen, to museum curators, educators, policy advisors, and the roles of state historical agencies, historical parks, historic houses and buildings, and much more, Public History offers a composite glimpse of how records of the past fuel the present in hope of paving a way to a more knowledgeable future. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Public historians    6. Public history    7. World - General    8. Historiography   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Asia - China    3. Asia - General    4. Asia - Japan    5. Historiography    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Nanjing (Jiangsu Sheng, China)    10. Nanking Massacre, Nanjing, Jiangsu Sheng, China, 1937    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    12. China    13. History / Asia    14. History, World | Asian    15. Inter-war period, 1918-1939   

Reviews (3)

Wonderful and Efficiant
This book was exactly as described and so much more. It is well written, well organized, and does a great job keeping readers intrested. It is so wonderful and efficiant to count on products such as this.

Useful if limited; we need more like it
Used this in an undergraduate class at a good liberal arts school.Many students found the workbook exercises simplistic.I like it, though, because it illustrates practical history skills using real historical examples.I am aware of no other book that does this.I particularly like the emphasis on the research process (lots of emphasis on looping back between research and writing), and analytical skills (where making categories looms large).My recommendation is to use the chapters loosely, adapting them to your own needs.When I use it again, I will use the material provided as the basis for more substantive short writing assignments.

Adaptable to all student levels
I've used this book for years now for both undergraduates and graduates, with great success.The new 2000 edition is even better (except for a too-brief section on films as historical sources.) The updating with regard to libraries is especially good, and the section on statistics is appropriately demanding. The essay assignment based upon the Missouri Fur Trade readily uncovers problems and personal bias in students' work. Though written for undergrads, this guide is excellent for new grad students as a way of identifying weaknesses and building consistent skills. I require graduate students to probe more deeply in responding to the exercises, and they all agree it is a great workbook, even though it seems too basic to them at first glance! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Examinations, questions, etc    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History (General)    5. History - General History    6. History: American    7. Methodology    8. Study & Teaching    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - Arts & Humanities    10. History: theory & methods