The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of Modern History

This famous study examines important questions about historians and their work - Why do we study history? How do we construct our knowledge of the past? What are the limitations of historical evidence? and What different kinds of history are being written today? The subjects covered in the book are difficult and sometimes controversial and John Tosh has proved himself an admirable guide in this justly-celebrated work. His cool eye and lively pen make the issues clear and involving; and he makes the reader vividly aware of just how far our historical knowledge is conditioned by the character of the sources and by the methods of the historians who work on them.

 “An excellent introduction to methodology in history which will be read with advantage by historians at any stage of their development.”

History

 

“Tosh writes clearly and pungently...a very satisfactory as well as stimulating vade-mecum for all who work at history.”

Times Higher Education Supplement

 

This classic introduction to the study of history invites the reader to stand back and consider some of its most fundamental questions - What is the point of studying history? How do we know about the past? Does an objective historical truth exist and can we ever access it?

In answering these central questions, John Tosh argues that, despite the impression of fragmentation created by postmodernism in recent years, history is a coherent discipline which still bears the imprint of its nineteenth-century origins. Consistently clear-sighted, he provides a lively and compelling guide to a complex and sometimes controversial subject, while making his readers vividly aware of just how far our historical knowledge is conditioned by the character of the sources and the methods of the historians who work on them.

 

The fifth edition has been revised and updated throughout, with the addition of new sections on:

·        Global history

·        Comparative history

·        Postcolonialism

 

And substantially revised sections on:

·        Women’s and gender history

·        Oral history and memory

·        Cultural History

 

Lucid and engaging, this new edition retains all the user-friendly features that have helped to make this book a favourite for students and lecturers,  including marginal glosses, illustrations, suggested further reading and boxed guides to key events and people.

 

John Tosh is Professor of History at Roehampton University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of several works on historiography, notably Why History Matters (2008) and Historians on History (2nd ed., 2008).