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History: A Very Short Introduction
PDF Download History: A Very Short Introduction
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Review
"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"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"Intriguing and original in its discussion of why history matters and what are the problems inherent in studying it. The book is admirable in being discursive and thought-provoking."--Paul Freedman, Yale University"Accessible to students and wide-ranging in content, Arnold uncovers major issues in the historical profession in a way that invites student participation."--Russ Reeves, Trinity Christian College"Exactly what I needed. Suitable for the non-major undergrad and the graduate school bound major student."--Rea Andrew Reid, Waynesburg College"This is an extremely engaging book, lively, enthusiastic and highly readable, which presents some of the fundamental problems of historical writing in a lucid and accessible manner. As an invitation to the study of history it should be difficult to resist."--Peter Burke, Emmanuel College, Cambridge"A few millenia of events, millions of transcripts tucked away, uncountable lives passed, endless stories to tell. History: where to begin? John Arnold's History: A Very Short Introduction is an excellent short answer. Lucid and thoughtfully written, it will inspire confidence in students who wish to seek their own historical answers."--Dorothy Porter, Birbeck College, London
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About the Author
John Arnold teaches history at the University of East Anglia, specializing in the medieval period and the philosophy of history.
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Product details
Paperback: 136 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (June 15, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 019285352X
ISBN-13: 978-0192853523
Product Dimensions:
6.9 x 0.6 x 4.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.4 out of 5 stars
47 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#273,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Arnold's lucid and slender book is worthy of praise for its concision and accessible writing style. The clear writing enables non-specialists to entertain some of the central questions in Historiography and Philosophy of History. His use of historical examples to illustrate important points is skillful and engaging. Some of these examples include a religiously motivated medieval murder at the time of the inquisition; the story of one man who lived through both the English Civil War and the religious conflicts in the early Massachusetts Colony then governed by John Winthrop; a case of cat-killing in 17C France with an accompanying discussion of the history of attitudes towards cats; and the case of Sojourner Truth's famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech-- which survives in 2 very different records--neither of which is the same as what she said in the speech. Despite the relatively jargon-free writing, the author manages to articulate many of the central questions, problems and challenges facing contemporary historians who try to make sense of their craft. If he offers more questions than definitive answers, that is in keeping with his tendency to debunk those historians and philosophers who have claimed to have final answers to extremely complex questions. If the book has a thesis at all, it is probably that one should be extremely cautious about the use of historical constructs, generalizations and abstractions that are too often confused with the past itself. An obvious example is periodization. Students often learn about the Renaissance, Middle Ages and Enlightenment periods as though these are realities that existed in the past. But no one in, say, the year 900 CE thought that they lived in "the middle ages" while those who claimed to be part of "the" Enlightenment" often had very different conceptions of just what constituted Enlightenment.Though it is pretty clear that periods and epochs are historical constructs often made by historians long after the events in question, it is far from clear that there is "never" a single cause for a historical event, that "most if not all" history consists in unintended consequences of past actions, that historians cannot ever claim to have an objectively true understanding of the past as it "really" was, that there is no basic human nature shared by all, that standards of right and wrong (as when historians say that a political leader made the "right" or "wrong" decision) are relative to time and place, and that there is no Truth in history but only partly accurate interpretations molded into what Arnold calls "True Stories." These are some of the main claims he makes in a soft-selling and thought provoking way. He doesn't seem dogmatic about his views, often stating them in the 1st person as his own preferences.While I do not agree with some of the claims Arnold makes, I nevertheless found much food for thought throughout. Perhaps the only exception is the last chapter on truth and meaning in history. There Arnold observes a clear distinction between accurate and inaccurate records of past events while denying the corollary that accurate records of events imply truth, while inaccurate records cannot be historically true in any conventional sense of the term. He writes, "dispensing with 'Truth' does not mean dispensing with accuracy." But to know that an account is accurate requires that you know it is true. I don't see how one can decouple the interrelated ideas of accuracy and truth. Simply put, if a record of the "Ain't I a Woman?" speech is grossly inaccurate, then it is false and not true historically. The author tries, I think vainly, to wiggle around this logic when he maintains that a poetically reworked version of the speech is just as true as an earlier and more faithful recording of it since the embellished version "may capture something very different about the woman [who made the speech], how she acted and was perceived by those who knew her." That impressionistic notion of truth is impossible to ascertain, and leaves us on a slippery slope conflating artful descriptions with truths.But my disagreements are less important than the fact that this quick read got me to sift through some of my own beliefs and views on a variety of other matters, and I am not at all new to the philosophy of history. Despite some less than convincing arguments, the book as a whole stimulates independent, critical thinking, and its tone respects the readers' judgments rather than preaching any particular gospel. Recommended.
"The past itself is not a narrative. In its entirety, it is chaotic, uncoordinated, and complex as life. History is about making sense of that mess, finding or creating patterns and meanings and stories from the maelstrom." -- John H. Arnold, HistorydescriptionA friend on Facebook introduced me to this series a couple weeks ago. I usually steer towards larger books (Diary of Samuel Pepys, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, etc.). I like to submerge in a book, so I was initially skeptical of this format. These are short books, almost novella size (although the font being 8 or 9 point might allow Oxford's editors to squeeze a bit more in). These are books not meant for the expert, but the enthusiast. They are, as Oxford titled them, VERY SHORT INTRODUCTIONS. Perfect. There is an art to writing tight. To cutting your story, your explanation, your introduction into the fewest words possible. Things are not included, left out, obviously, but like haikus there is beauty in scarcity and there is a definite place for these books in my library. I've only finished one (This one), but I'm addicted.I loved Arnold's voice, his take, and his approach. I think he managed to engage, explain, synthesize the history of history, and did ALL of that in just under 124 pages.I just ordered World War II: A Very Short Introduction (for my son) and The American Revolution: A Very Short Introduction (for my daughter). I expect I will be buying more very shortly.
A very well written introduction on the subject of Historiography - the "method" used to study history. Often people who study history will study it through ideological filters, i.e., Libertarian, Marxist, etc. In order to better view history as a factual narrative, historiography helps to step out of that ideological box. The authors examples are great: My favorite being chapter 7 - "The Telling of Truth." He takes the example of Sojourner Truth's speech back in the 1800's. He gives both versions and then does very thorough detective work to help the reader figure out which version of her speech was the most accurate.
A really excellent overview of historiography and the reasons for studying or creating history, and the ways those reasons have changed and evolved to suit the needs of the society in which a history is being produced. This year I embarked on a project to read 100 books that cover the history of the world, and this was book 1 in my project and was the perfect introduction to get my brain thinking critically and studiously as I proceed through the rest of my list.
At first I was very skeptical of this book--how does one "introduce" history, much less do it in 123 pages? I've taken two historiography courses--one undergrad and another in graduate school--and both required very long, very dull books on the "history of history."But John Arnold does it. In this short book, Arnold covers all the basics--both the origins and development of history as a craft, as well as summaries of modern concepts of "history," "truth," and the various problems confronting historians of both past and present. And he does it all without hammering the reader with jargon or heavy-handed intellectualism. This book perfectly balances academics with clarity.Perhaps Arnold's most impressive feat is that his book is actually interesting. Having slaved through my share of histories and histories of history, this Very Short Introduction was a breath of fresh air. This book is worthwhile reading for anyone interested in history or the history of history.Highly recommended.
This is a great book to understand why historians study history and why we should study history in general. Arnold offers valid points as to why we study history and the different methods historians have gone about in completing this task. Overall i definately reccomend to any history major.
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