Big Questions In History

(Paperback)

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Description

A very distinguished group of historians answers key questions about the past - and, incidentally, about the present and future. Drawing on examples ranging from ancient Greece to Tony Blair's Britain, leading historical thinkers address 20 of the really big questions that have been asked over the centuries about the course of human events. Each essay is put into context by a more general commentary that discusses the differing views of other leading thinkers, today and in the past. The result is a stimulating ride over continents and across centuries in search of answers that are sometimes surprising, often controversial, and all of great relevance to how we live today. Includes writing by- Richard. J. Evans, Ian Kershaw, Vernon Bogdanor, Fred Halliday, Thomas Palaima, Jeremy Black, Colin Renfrew, Anthony Pagden, Lisa Jardine, Sheila Rowbotham, Joanna Bourke, Benjamin Barber, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto and others.

Reviews

This excellent collection of essays certainly lives up to the grand claim of its title. Unusual and highly successful. Quite possibly one of the best summaries of modern historical theory available * Good Book Guide *
Liza Jardine, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Ian Kershaw, Richard Evans; some of the leading contemporary historians have been assembled in this innovative work. Enlightening little book. Learned yet accessible. Stimulating and thought-provoking * Glasgow Herald *
Quizzing the world's best historians, this book finds answers to the most frequently asked questions about the course of world events. The results are sometimes unexpected but always relevant to how we live today * BMI Magazine *

Author Bio

Harriet Swain is Deputy Features editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement and editor of Big Questions in Science published by Cape in 2002.