Practicing History: Selected Essays [Paperback]

Barbara W. Tuchman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0345303636 | ISBN-13: 978-0345303639 | Publication Date: August 12, 1982

From thoughtful pieces on the historian's role to striking insights into America's past and present to trenchant observations on the international scene, Barbara W. Tuchman looks at history in a unique way and draws lessons from what she sees. Here is a splendid body of work, the story of a lifetime spent "practicing history."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Persuades and Enthralls...I can think of no better primer for the nonexpert who wishes to learn history." -- Chicago Sun-Times

"Provocative, Consistent, and Beautifully Readable, an event not to be missed by history buffs." -- The Baltimore Sun

From the Inside Flap

From thoughtful pieces on the historian's role to striking insights into America's past and present to trenchant observations on the international scene, Barbara W. Tuchman looks at history in a unique way and draws lessons from what she sees. Here is a splendid body of work, the story of a lifetime spent "practicing history."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 12, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345303636
• ISBN-13: 978-0345303639
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > History > Historical Study > Essays
  • #79 in Books > History > Historical Study > Study & Teaching

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get it for the Two Essays on The Historian, September 16, 2002

By 

John P. Rooney "John" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Practicing History: Selected Essays (Paperback)

"Practicing History", by Barbara W. Tuchman, sub-titled "Selected Essays". Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1981.

This book is a collection of essays written by the noted Historian, Barbara W. Tuchman (e.g. "The Guns of August"), over the course of her long career. In my humble opinion, for the novice historian, the most interesting essays are, "The Historian as Artist" (pages 45-50), "The Historian's Opportunity", (pages 51-64). In these two essays, Ms. Tuchman challenges the budding historian to not only collect facts, dates and events, but rather to write History so the end product is as engaging as modern novel, BUT, based upon excellent scholarship. Ms. Tuchman is a proponent of "narrative" History, where the facts "...require arrangement, composition planning just like a painting - Rembrandt's 'Night Watch`" (page 49). These two essays would enhance any course in Historiography.

Some of her remaining essays are a bit dated, but provide keen insight into the times, as in Tuchman's "Japan: A Clinical Note", (pages 93-97). Her essays on Israel tend to be a bit chauvinistic, in the sense that the author's objectivity slips and she can find very little wrong with the budding Jewish state in what was once Palestine. The essay, "Perdicaris Alive or Rasuli Dead" (pages 104-117), is very entertaining, particularly if you are interested in New York's Teddy Roosevelt. All in all, the first section of this book, (called "The Craft"), includes essays that should be required reading for a student beginning graduate work in History.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tuchman on a smaller scale, May 9, 2002

By 

John D. Cofield - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Practicing History: Selected Essays (Paperback)

These essays allow the reader to enjoy Barbara Tuchman's incisive historical analysis and sharp wit in small doses. Most of the essays were written in the 1950s or 1960s or even earlier, but they are still fresh and pointed. Reading Tuchman is like listening to your favorite history professor. She'll tell a dramatic story and finish up with some wry observations that will keep you thinking long after.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barbara is a master at her best, March 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Practicing History: Selected Essays (Paperback)

Although a collection of essays the coherence of her work is commendable.No one can read history in the same light after reading her book.Ms.Tuchman is truly a master who weaves a web around her readers. The canvas of her book is stupendous and her grasp is awesome covering ancient Greece to modern times. Truly remarkable. (Naushad Shafkat)