Essaying the Past

Book excerpt: Part research manual, part study guide, and part introduction to the study of history, Essaying the Past is a complete resource for high school, college, and graduate level students. Jim Cullen guides the reader through the nuts and bolts of producing good historical prose, discussing key strategies such as framing questions, developing a strong introduction and topic sentences, choosing good evidence, and the important role of revision. Beginning with a survey of the field, this book offers useful insight into how to read and understand a wide variety of historical sources, as well as providing an introduction to historiography, helpful tips for conducting research, and a discussion of what it means to think and read analytically. Cullen also offers a set of appendices that cover the major issues facing students of history today, among them the dangers of plagiarism, the role of the Internet, and the need for correctly annotated and formatted footnotes and bibliographies.