Arnold John H. History. A Very Short Introduction

Oxford University Press, 2000. — 136 p. — (Very Short Introductions).There are many stories we can tell about the past, and we are not, perhaps, as free as we might imagine in our choice of which stories to tell, or where those stories end. John Arnold's addition to Oxford's popular Very Short Introductions series is a stimulating essay about how people study and understand history. The book begins by inviting us to think about various questions provoked by our investigation of history, and then explores the ways in which these questions have been answered in the past. Such key concepts as causation, interpretation, and periodization are introduced by way of concrete examples of how historians work, thus giving the reader a sense of the excitement implicit in discovering the past-and ourselves.Questions about murder and history
From the tails of dolphins to the tower of politics
How it really was’: truth, archives, and the love of old things
Voices and silences
Journeys of a thousand miles
The killing of cats; or, is the past a foreign country?
The telling of truthThe aim throughout History: A Very Short Introduction is to discuss theories of history in a general, pithy, and accessible manner, rather than delve into specific periods. This is a book that will appeal to all students and general readers with an interest in history or historiography.