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A Student's Guide to the Theory and Craft of History
Third Edition
Robert C. Williams
M.E. Sharpe, Armonk, New York
2012
I finished The Historian's Toolbox and am very happy to say that I really liked it. The conversational tone of the book and the very interesting examples used ensured that it was never a dull read. The topics are carefully organized by sections and subsections and discuss various aspects of doing history from the types of history that can be found, writing a paper, the various evidences that can be used to support a claim, the different ways that history can be told, to how history is still relevant today.
It is a handy reference book since the sections are broken down into subsections by logical sequence. The easy to follow layout makes it simple to look up specific topics. Although short, each section is concise, yet informative. Many topics are covered, but the pace of the book is quick due to the straightforward writing style.
In addition, The Historian's Toolbox can also be used as a textbook in the classroom. Historical examples are used to illustrate the current topic which helps to reinforce the relevance of the topic under discussion. There are also some black and white pictures to enhance the story. A few of them are a little fuzzy, but they are clear enough to get the point across. Some of the sections end with a "Task." These tasks consist of questions or exercises designed to review the topic discussed. They are great starting points for class discussions and exercise critical thinking skills. In addition, there are plenty of books recommended for further reading, in case the reader's interest is piqued by the examples used.
