The Historian's Craft: Reflections on the Nature and Uses of History and the Techniques and Methods of Those Who Write It.

by Marc Bloch and P. Putnam J. R. Strayer M. Bloch

Book Overview

In this classic work, distinguished French economic historian, Marc Bloch, discusses the techniques of historical observation, analysis, and criticism, and the reestablishment of historical causation in assessing events. What is the value of history? What is the use of history? How do scholars attempt to unpack it and make connections in a responsible manner? While the topics of historiography and historical methodology have become increasingly popular,...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394705122
• ISBN13: 9780394705125
• Release Date: March 1964
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Epitaph to a Learned Man

Marc Bloch--veteran of World Wars I and II, historian, professor, writer, French patriot--entreats us in this spare volume to maintain our objectivity, to interpret history with the skepticism of the journalist and the scientific method of the researcher. He identifies some of the pitfalls, the improperly translated idiom, the anthropomorphism of time and place, and relying too heavily on the written accounts of earlier historians, as means by which the understanding of historical events can be skewed. And history must be viewed as a continuum, a rolling cause-and-effect leading from then until now and beyond, events which seldom fit easily into our need to categorize them by fixed dates. But then, historians already know these things, so of what value is "The Historian's Craft" today? There is a poignancy to this book that Marc Bloch may not have anticipated from his moment in time, but looking back toward the era in which he wrote, the reader can see "The Historian's Craft" as Bloch's attempt to instill order and sanity into the turbulent and almost inexplicably surreal fall of France during World War II. I interpret this book as his salve, his struggle to maintain objectivity during the madness he observed as the Nazis overwhelmed his country. Older than fifty now, having earned the right to a quiet life in academia but refusing to leave his beloved France, Block joined the Resistance, fought against the Nazis, was captured, tortured and killed. And so, "The Historian's Craft" becomes a record to help us interpret Marc Bloch's life and the era of occupied France, as well as lessons in craft from a learned man. Bloch wrote: ...a generation represents only a relatively short phase. Longer phases are called civilizations."

Primer on HIstoric Methodology

This book is a primer on Historic Methodology for any aspiring historian, neophyte, dabbler in historic issues, and - perhaps most important of all - a concise road map to understanding the nuances of the historians craft. Furthermore, this book is often used in graduate programs of history or those in need of developing their skills at historic methodology or refining their historic lens as objective observers. Marc Bloch was one of the seminal historic scholars of our age. And his insights on how one reads history or attempts to read history clearly challenge personal bias with reading the tracks left by our ancestors and what their intentions, values, and ideals meant in their own time and for audiences long lost to our contemporary evaluations.

History explained, briefly and eloquently

Any book that ends with an ellipsis is frustrating, but this little gem by Marc Bloch, one of the 20th century's great historians before his tragic death at the hands of the Nazis in 1944, is a wonderful explanation of history as a social science and scholarly pursuit. Even in its unfinished form, "The Historian's Craft" provides useful working definitions of history as an academic subject, and some of the general guidelines that should be adhered to by historians. Rather than being a dry, jargon-filled text, the writing style here is very readable and engaging - thus, even though professional historians or history students would be the most interested in its content, it can be read and enjoyed by non-historians (for whom I believe Bloch intended it to a certain extent). This book should definitely top the reading list of any college student even thinking of majoring in history.

One of the finest short analyses of historiography

This book is simply one of the finest short works on historiography. Not only does it provide a concise overview of methods, techniques, and common errors, but it also stimulates one's intellectual insight into writing about history and thinking about the world it describes.

Analysis of the Historian's problems when writing history

Regretably unfinished, The Historian's Craft attempts to show the importance of historical study. It addresses issues ranging from the reasons for historical study to the problems encountered by historians in analysing evidence left by the past. It considers historical criticism and revisionism, showing the reader what types of revisionism is acceptable and what types are to be feared. Bloch died before completing the work, and the missing chapters on the causes of history and applying historical lessons to the future are greatly missed. The text is very readable, with many anecdotes to drive a point home. The lack of footnotes is due to his untimely death, but the purity of his vision and clarity of his logic eliminate the need for full documentation.