Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write, and Think about History

Part research manual, part study guide, and part introduction to the study of history, Essaying the Past guides the reader through the nuts and bolts of producing good historical prose, offering key strategies and useful tips.

• Includes expert advice on writing about history, conducting good research, and learning how to think analytically
• Covers important topics such as framing questions, developing a strong introduction and topic sentences, choosing good evidence, and the crucial role of revision
• An annotated case study takes the reader through one student’s process of writing an essay and illustrates how strategies discussed in the book can be successfully implemented
• Six appendices cover the major issues facing students today, such as the dangers of plagiarism and the role of the internet

Jim Cullen teaches history at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York, USA. He was previously a Preceptor in the Expository Writing Program at Harvard University, USA. He is the author of nine books, among them Imperfect Presidents: Tales of Misadventure and Triumph (2007), The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation (2003), and Born in the U.S.A.: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition (1997).