The Purpose of the Past: Reflections on the Uses of History - Softcover

Wood, Gordon S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143115049 ISBN 13: 9780143115045

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2009

Synopsis

An erudite scholar and an elegant writer, Gordon S. Wood has won both numerous awards and a broad readership since the 1969 publication of his widely acclaimed The Creation of the American Republic. With The Purpose of the Past, Wood has essentially created a history of American history, assessing the current state of history vis-à-vis the work of some of its most important scholars-doling out praise and scorn with equal measure. In this wise, passionate defense of history's ongoing necessity, Wood argues that we cannot make intelligent decisions about the future without understanding our past. Wood offers a master's insight into what history-at its best-can be and reflects on its evolving and essential role in our culture.

About this title

About the Author:

Gordon S. Wood is the Alva O. Way University Professor and professor of history emeritus at Brown University. His 1969 book, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776–1787, received the Bancroft and John H. Dunning prizes and was nominated for the National Book Award. Wood’s 1992 book, The Radicalism of the American Revolution, won the Pulitzer Prize and the Emerson Prize. His 2009 book, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815, won the New-York Historical Society American History Book Prize. In 2011, Wood was awarded a National Humanities Medal by President Obama. He contributes regularly to the New Republic and the New York Review of Books.

From AudioFile:

Wood, a professor of history at Brown University, and that rare gem of an academic who can write for a general audience, gives a critique of the current state of the discipline of history. This collection of his essays and book reviews balances Wood's view of what is good about the new trendsthe inclusion of heretofore largely ignored demographic groupswith his view of what is hurting the professionrelativism. Malcolm Hillgartner gives a superb performance in narrating this work. His reading sounds effortless, making it appear that he's delivering all of the material from memory, without any pause or hesitation. The listener is quickly engaged by Hillgartner, and he doesn't let go. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0143115049
• ISBN 13: 9780143115045
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 323