What Is History? [Paperback]

Edward Hallet Carr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1967 | ISBN-10: 039470391X | ISBN-13: 978-0394703916

The George Macaulay Trevelyan Lectures delivered at the University of Cambridge January - March 1961. New York Times Book Review: "... a work of rare distinction which nobody can afford to miss."

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (October 12, 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039470391X
• ISBN-13: 978-0394703916
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 0.6 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > History > Historical Study > Historiography

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 6 great lectures given in 1961 are collected in this volume., March 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: What Is History? (Paperback)

Some of the direct answers Prof. Carr gives to this stimulating question are (1) "to enable [us] to understand the society of the past" and (2) "to increase [our] mastery over the present. Discovering how he arrives at these answers is a reward in itself for anyone who cares in the least bit about the past, the present, or the future. This slim book, burgeoning with exposees and suggestions for thought, is a must-read for anyone who thinks he or she knows what history is, what it means, and what its implications are. The first lecture, "The Historian and His Facts", is a wake-up call for those who define history as a great-big collection of facts, the significance of which resides exclusively in the facts themselves. "Wie es eigentlich gewissen" was, as Prof. Carr explains, an untenable philosopy of history, since so much of what actually happened (and especially what it meant) in the past is dependent upon the biases of those involved in the actions and those involved in attempting to explain them. The five remaining lectures build on each other and make for wonderfully stimulating and interpretive reading. Built of the clarity and intermittent humor of Prof. Carr's prose, the structure of the book is well-conceived and tries to include as many of the central issues as possible, while presenting as fairly as one man can the views of those who do or did cling to conceptions of history which Prof. Carr discredits.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The fundamental historiographical work., November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: What Is History? (Paperback)

Although this book is difficult to understand in places (purely by virtue of it being an academic text that has obtained deserved popularity) it is a must for anybody interested in history as a discipline. Debates in historiography have moved on a great deal since Carr wrote this text, and the advent of post-modernism has complicated many of the issues that Carr raises. However, before trying to run, one should walk, and Carr provides the basic skills needed to become a good historian. I would recommend Richard Evans 'In Defence of History' for a modern perspective.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Does History have meaning?, July 13, 2007

By 

C. Roland Marcus "Bemused observer" (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Is History? (Paperback)

Though published more than forty years ago, this book has contemporary relevance. A series of lectures given by the author at Cambridge University, it covers topics such as "The Historian and His Facts" and History as progress." The author rejects the notions of Hegal and Marx that history automatically has transcendent meaning. On the other hand neither it it series of random events. He tells us that all history is rinsed through the background filters of those who write it. Therefore "revisionist history" is not an occasional accident produced by over zealous observers, it is the only kind of history available to us. This a good read, perhaps marred slightly by over generalizations. The group discussion in which I participated was simulating.