John Tosh is Professor of History at the University of Roehampton, UK, Visiting Professor at Birkbeck University of London and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is well known for his introductory text The Pursuit of History (6th edition, 2015). He has also published widely on the history of masculinities in Britain, notably A Man’s Place: Masculinity and the Middle-Class Home in Victorian England (2007).

Why History Matters is a thoughtful and thought-provoking text about history and historical thinking which challenges us to consider the power of history and the power of historians to intervene in contemporary assumptions and misguided debates. – Samantha Shave, University of Lincoln, UK Tosh introduces the much-needed theory of practical historical awareness—accurate history that can be practically applied to the present.

• PrefacePrologue: Britain in IraqContending HistoriesOther WorldsBecoming OurselvesParallels in the PastThe Family in Crisis: a Case-StudyHistory Goes PublicThe Citizen's ResourceConclusionPostscript: British Historians and BrexitNotesSelect Bibliography.

John Tosh is Professor of History at the University of Roehampton, UK, Visiting Professor at Birkbeck University of London and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is well known for his introductory text The Pursuit of History (6th edition, 2015). He has also published widely on the history of masculinities in Britain, notably A Man’s Place: Masculinity and the Middle-Class Home in Victorian England (2007).

Why History Matters is a thoughtful and thought-provoking text about history and historical thinking which challenges us to consider the power of history and the power of historians to intervene in contemporary assumptions and misguided debates. – Samantha Shave, University of Lincoln, UK Tosh introduces the much-needed theory of practical historical awareness—accurate history that can be practically applied to the present.

• PrefacePrologue: Britain in IraqContending HistoriesOther WorldsBecoming OurselvesParallels in the PastThe Family in Crisis: a Case-StudyHistory Goes PublicThe Citizen's ResourceConclusionPostscript: British Historians and BrexitNotesSelect Bibliography.