History: A Very Short Introduction

John Arnold's Very Short Introduction is a stimulating essay about how we study and understand history. The book begins by inviting us to think about various questions provoked by our investigation of history, and explores the ways these questions have been answered in the past. Concepts such as causation, interpretation, and periodization, are introduced by means of concrete examples of how historians work, giving the reader a sense of the excitement of discovering not only the
past, but also ourselves.

(Oxford)

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<br>"John Arnold builds around a few glittering fragments of the past-- a medieval murderer, a 17th-century pension to an abandoned wife, a speech by a black woman born into slavery-- a whole exhibition about what history is and is not. Writing with lucidity and passion, he lays out for inspection all the ways of recounting and exploiting the past through narrative which has been used from Herodotus to Hobsbawn. His range of knowledge and interests is phenomenal, but his skills as a communicator makes his own subtle analysis of history's history as gripping as a novel."--Neal Ascherson<p><br>"A stimulating and provocative introduction to one of collective humanity's most important quests-- understanding the past and its relation to the present. A vivid mix of telling examples and clear-cut analysis."--David Lowenthal, University College, London<p><br>"Intriguing and original in its discussion of why history matters and what are the problems inherent in studying it. The book is admirabl

(Oxford)

1. QUESTIONS ABOUT MURDER AND HISTORY; 2. THE HISTORY OF HISTORY; 3. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED: TRUTH, ARCHIVES, AND THE LOVE OF OLD THINGS; 4. ESCAPES FROM THE TOWER; 5. CAUSATION AND INTERPRETATIONS; 6. TELLING STORIES, TELLING TALES; 7. PERIODIZATION AND TIME; 8. OBJECTIVITY, TRUTH, AND JUDGEMENT; 9. THE ROLE OF THE PAST IN THE PRESENT; FURTHER READING; INDEX

(Oxford)