Task 10: A Microhistory

[Danielle]

I just checked this one off my list with "The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary."

[Rainey]

I read Praying to the god of slots

[Aliesha]

Just started for my microhistory. I've been excited to read this book since last fall, ordered it for myself for Christmas, and so far so good.

[Poppy]

Jenn wrote: "I'm looking for a good Micro-history on something to do with France or something Parisian if anyone has any recommendations.

If I can't find anything, I'm going to move my audiobook pick [bookco..."

I'm currently listening to Empire of Cotton and I can't stand the narrator. I'll continue to slog through it only because my library's copy of Empire of Cotton is out and I refuse to buy it.

For a microhistory of Paris, I'd suggest one of Joan DeJean's books, like [book:The Age of Comfort: When Paris Discovered Casual—and the Modern Home Began|8937121], How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City, or The Reinvention of Obscenity: Sex, Lies, and Tabloids in Early Modern France.

[Bonnie]

I just read The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner. It is a very enlightening history of the modern evolutionary research conducted in the Galapagos Islands.

[Nicole]

I've decided to settle on: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

[Rainey]

Nicole wrote: "I've decided to settle on: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America"

That was a great book. I really enjoyed it.

[Pat]

"The Poisoner's Handbook" showing as a documentary,History Channel in New Zealand. Bonus for me!

[Thegirlintheafternoon]

I'm going with I Do and I Don't: A History of Marriage in the Movies.

Other options: A History of the Wife, Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage, Crying: A Natural and Cultural History of Tears

[Robin P]

I think I've settled onPoetry and the Police: Communication Networks in Eighteenth-Century Paris

[Chelsey]

Hey everybody, glad to see I'm not the only one struggling to pin down what counts in this genre! It seems like there's some grey area. Thoughts on whether this one counts? I have other options but this one is the highest on my TBR:

Jane Austen Cover to Cover: 200 Years of Classic Book Covers

[N.C.]

I am just over half way through Hidden History of Detroit for this topic. I love it, being Michigan/Detroit suburbs born and bred. And it's lighthearted, which is refreshing since a lot of Detroit's more recent history is pretty bleak.

[N.C.]

Chase wrote: "Would this qualify as a micro history?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..."

I think that book, or something like it, was on the suggested list on Book Riot's original post. And it does fit the description of "a microhistory."

[Aliesha]

Nicole wrote: "I've decided to settle on: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America"

Ooooh, yes, I quite liked that one. It wasn't the first book I read about HH Holmes so I had some history there, and quite honestly I was suprised at how much I enjoyed the other portions of the book. Since that book I've looked up others by the same author and enjoyed them also.

[Aliesha]

I finished _The Secret History of Wonder Woman_ and while I enjoyed it, it surely is not a keeper in my world. (Also, the info for this book is inaccurate, in my opinion. The page length is misleading, as approximately the last 100 pages is annotation, bibliography, etc. Now, I like annotation more than the average person, but I don't think it should be counted in the book length.)

[Sara]

Is there anyway that "On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome, with Love and Pasta" might fit this category?

[Audrey]

Would this be considered a micro history?

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Thanks.

[Liz]

My choice is The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. A great read and I highly recommend it as it delves not only into comic book history, but also the history of feminism in the 20th century United States, and the lie detector. And yes, all of these things are connected through one very unusual family.

[Marie]

Ah. I just finished "Alphabetical" by Michael Rosen as my "microhistory" -- terribly long book for a microhistory, but it was good and super informative.

[Erika]

So I went with the book I'd asked about upthread, Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan and I'm breezing through it. It might even be a two day read. Nintendo was a huge part of my childhood, so I was curious about it's beginnings and now I want to know everything haha.

[Diane]

I will be reading Tom Standage's An Edible History of Humanity for this one.

[Karen]

I have a left over copy of that I bought to give as a Christmas present and didn't! I think I'll try that one for this topic. The review says: “Rogers’s book has much the same effect as a good drink. You get a warm sensation, you want to engage with the wider world, and you feel smarter than you probably are. Above all, it makes you understand how deeply human it is to take a drink.” How bad can it be? :)

[Emma]

My husband just finished Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer for this task. He liked it (which is about as much as I'll be able to get how of what he thought about the book).

[Suzanne]

Samantha wrote: "I am not sure what a Micro history is. I don't read much nonfiction. Would The Secret History of Wonder Woman count?"


I was thinking of reading this one too!

[Suzanne]

Althea wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Or wait, I just realized that (thanks to the podcast) I have The Secret History of Wonder Woman now!"

I just finished this and it was fascinating! It's so much more than just the b..."

Thanks, Althea! I am working on it - school started back so I am reading slower than usual!

[N.C.]

I finished my microhistory, . It was mostly anecdotes from the founding and development of the city of Detroit, which were corroborated by old documents that survived from that time. But I learned a lot that I didn't know, so I think the book was a success.

[nadia]

Thinking of either Milk by Anne Mendelson or The Sugar Season: A Year in the Life of Maple Syrup by Douglas Whynott

[Sophia]

I just finished Severed: A History of Heads Lost and Heads Found by Frances Larson. Overall I enjoyed it, though some of the chapters definitely stand out more than others. Fascinating, if a little gruesome at times. Which is to be expected when talking about, you know, decapitation...

[Kelly]

Kenny wrote: "Would this qualify as a microhistory?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..."

Ooh, nice one. Thanks!

[Kelly]

Some more titles for ideas

The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England

Blood Sisters: The Women Behind The War Of The Roses

[Melissa]

Question-- wondering if Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan qualifies in this category?

[Deedee]

Would these two qualify as "microhistory"??

Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II
Clever Maids: The Secret History of the Grimm Fairy Tales

[Kelly]

Melissa & Deedee: I would say so!

[Laura]

I finished my microhistory, The Emperor of All Maladies. At 592 pages, it was hardly "micro" in itself, but it's topic was very narrow! I wrote a little bit more about it on my blog: http://blog.lauralindeman.com/februar...

[[deleted user]]

Just finished A Poisoned Past: The Life and Times of Margarida de Portu, a Fourteenth-Century Accused Poisoner. I thought the history (emphasis on 'story') was interesting, but not the historiography bits.

[Elizabeth]

I just finished "The Girls of Atomic City" by Denise Kiernan, a social history of the secret city of Oak Ridge, TN, where uranium was enriched during WWII. This book focused on women who worked there or contributed to the work. A fascinating and mostly untold chapter of the Manhattan Project and WWII.

[Aliesha]

What did you think of it? I have wanted to read this since I heard of it!

Elizabeth wrote: "I just finished "The Girls of Atomic City" by Denise Kiernan, a social history of the secret city of Oak Ridge, TN, where uranium was enriched during WWII. This book focused on women who worked the..."

[Elizabeth]

I really enjoyed it. My husband is a big history buff and this was a story of WWII even he didn't know. It was fascinating!

Aliesha wrote: "What did you think of it? I have wanted to read this since I heard of it!

Elizabeth wrote: "I just finished "The Girls of Atomic City" by Denise Kiernan, a social history of the secret city of Oa..."

[Rebecca]

I'm a historian and the term "micro history" is used to describe a very detailed history of a short period of time, a single incident, a very small group of not very famous people, etc. not anything sweeping or general over a long period of time. It seems like when book riot made the micro history list they confused the term with general histories of "everyday things" - but most of the works listed by them and by folks here would not be considered microhistories because they cover a long period of time and are general rather than "microscopically" detailed, Sorry to be pedantic. Some classic works are Carlo Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms and Natalie Zemon Davis, the Return of Martin Guerre. The great majority of what people are describing here would be considered cultural history, not microhistory. The poisoned Past listed above *is* microhistory. Almost nothing else listed here is.

[Danielle]

Rebecca, I know for me personally, I have never heard the term "microhistory" before doing this challenge and thank you for clarifying, but I personally think it is ok of what everyone read wasn't exactly a microhistory as long as the were trying to read out of the comfort zone! Also Book Riot has said that we can interpret the guidelines however we want!

[Rebecca]

Hi, I think it's fine for people to read cultural history, but the label is wrong, It is as wrong as if they had said "science fiction is a genre about people who appear unsuited and yet fall madly in love, some examples are regency etc" - and hey, they're both fiction anyway, so who cares, right?
Since Book Riot is also all about learning and endorses geekiness, I wish they would admit the error and change the name of the category to "either a micro history or a sweeping history of a mundane thing." I was puzzled by their characterization and looked a bit to see how they got it so completely wrong; there was a goodreads list posted a few years ago that described microhistory as the "sweeping social history of just one thing. " That's just not accurate. I admit to being annoyed that they didn't do more research on the term, but realize that they were just going with something they didn't know was wrong. Here is an article explaining microhistory and the philosophy behind it: http://historynewsnetwork.org/article...

[Peninnah]

As someone from a literary background rather than a historical one, I didn't know that particular definition of micro history. In my studies, it's always been "a sweeping history of a mundane thing" or a book that follows something through a variety of disciplines or time periods. Books about something more specific were classed as science or such. One's definition of the term stems from the studies with which one is familiar. Ethicists often use the term to follow an idea over time. I agree with Danielle that the point of the exercise is to have fun reading outside one's normal reading scope. I've had a lot of fun seeing what other readers classed as micro history since we all come from different backgrounds and disciplines.

[Rebecca]

I think so too, but Book Riot (a group I love!) were mistaken on this, and so are all the literary people who have begun to use a term that came out of history and actually means something to historians to mean something else entirely. If a historian used a term like "metaphor" or "irony" or "allegory" in a way totally foreign to its meaning in literature, would you say "oh how interesting?" Or - "hmm, actually that's wrong"?

[Peninnah]

Language is fluid and always changing. I'd say, "How interesting."

[Danielle]

Peninnah, agreed!

[Rebecca]

Wait a minute, books about something more specific were called "science and such?" What does that mean?

[Book Riot]

Rebecca wrote: "I'm a historian and the term "micro history" is used to describe a very detailed history of a short period of time, a single incident, a very small group of not very famous people, etc. not anythi..."

We're defining microhistory as "the intensive historical investigation of a well defined smaller unit of research (most often a single event, concept or general trend)." That's the definition of the term, even if it's not necessarily how historians see it in academia. It works for the purposes of defining a subset of books for this challenge, as well as defining a subset of non-fiction titles.

[Rebecca]

Hi,
Where do you find that definition? The only time I could find it was on Goodreads. The one drawn from Charles Joyner on Wikipedia is much closer to the one I gave earlier, and would pass muster with historians. I stand by my speculation that the use of the term to refer to general works about topics like salt, milk, etc. (which are not "intensive" historical investigations) in most cases is coming from book-marketers rather than from writers or scholars.

[Melanie]

So I'm thinking of reading Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free which is shelved on GR as a history, not a microhistory, but it seems to me by any of the discussed definitions it would work.

Thoughts?

[Rebecca]

@Melanie, I agree. It's about a single event, moment in time and place, and a small group of not-famous people! It is also kind of current-events because it happened so recently...but it's definitely micro in all the ways that count. See, I am not really so bossy as all that.