History: A Brief Insight

by John H. Arnold

Do historians reconstruct the truth—or simply tell stories? Professor John Arnold suggests they do both, and that it’s the balance between the two that matters. In a work of metahistory (the study of history itself), he takes us from the fabulous tales of Greek Herodotus to the varied approaches of modern-day professionals. Through fascinating and particular examples—including a medieval murderer, 17th-century colonist, and ex-slave—Dr. Arnold illuminates our relationship to the past by making us aware of how the very nature of “history” has changed.

 

Genres: History, Nonfiction

182 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

John Hugh Arnold (born 1969) is a British historian. Since 2016, he has been the Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge. He previously worked at Birkbeck College, University of London, where he specialised in the study of medieval religious culture. He has also written widely on historiography and why history matters.

Born 28 November 1969, Arnold received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in medieval studies from the University of York. He was professor of medieval history at Birkbeck College, University of London, from 2008. He joined the college as a lecturer in 2001. Before that he was a lecturer at the University of East Anglia. He is a member of the Social History Society and the Medieval Academy of America.

Arnold specialises in the study of medieval religious culture, saying that while he has never been a believer in any religion, "belief" has always fascinated him. In his work he asks "Why do people believe the things they believe? What does 'believing' really mean in practice?" Arnold has also written widely about historiography. In 2008 he wrote a policy paper, Why history matters - and why medieval history also matters, for History & Policy.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just a new edition of History: A Very Short Introduction which I've already read and reviewed.

Excellent intro to how a historian thinks and how they determine what is history. Spoiler, there's a lot of different opinions.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very straightforward and thoughtful series of ruminations on history, writing history, and the process of thinking about history. However, I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't felt as if I had been dropped into the book, feeling like I had walked into a lecture and missed the introduction. It ends much more definitively than it begins.

[C.B. Wentworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The study of history has never been an easy field to define as there are so many variables. The past isn’t as simple as one might imagine when bias, cultural perspective, and interpretation are thrown into the mix. Arnold explores all of these elements with real examples (that aren’t always found in basic textbooks), giving the average person a sense of the challenges historians face while piecing together the past. As a history teacher, his book was a nice refresher on why I decided to go into historical studies – real people and real events always tell the best stories! Had it not been for some overly casual language in some places (I'm still a firm believer that the phrases, "this book" and "this chapter" should never be used in formal writing), I would have rated this a full five stars.

[Keeko · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband found this in the library for me while he was looking for the volume by this author in the Very Short Introduction series. And it may be the same book, but this one includes great color illustrations. The author is also a teacher, so he has a knack for knowing what would get someone excited about his subject. It was fun, fascinating, and a page-turner.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should really have rated this lower but I'm not really willing to. It's a history of historiography, which was not terribly interesting, but it was short and yet thorough and it had a lot of nice historical pictures and good descriptions under them. I got it in the discount bin at Barnes and Noble - not a terrible buy if you're concerned with the interpretation of history.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arnold teaches History and this is an attempt to explore the study, interpretation, writing and use/misuse of History.

Read as much as I care to - he made his point

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for stepping back and understanding the big picture of how to interpret history. Interesting read.