*** PROSE Award Winner (2018) in the Textbook/Humanities Category *** A Practical Guide to Studying History is the perfect guide for students embarking on degree-level study. The book: - introduces students to the concepts of historical objectivity, frameworks and debate - explains the differences in aims, methods and audiences for different types of history - explores the relationship between the skills developed during a history undergraduate degree and the practice of professional history - helps students develop the practical skills required to read historical writing critically, write good essays, and participate in historical debates - includes study questions, further reading lists, text boxes, maps and illustrations The book incorporates case studies taken from a range of regions and periods, reflecting the varied nature of historical study at university, and helps students to understand history, and to practice it successfully: it is an indispensable guide to studying history.

A comprehensive resource to understanding the hand-press printing of early books Studying Early Printed Books, 1450 - 1800 offers a guide to the fascinating process of how books were printed in the first centuries of the press and shows how the mechanics of making books shapes how we read and understand them. The author offers an insightful overview of how books were made in the hand-press period and then includes an in-depth review of the specific aspects of the printing process. She addresses questions such as: How was paper made? What were different book formats? How did the press work? In addition, the text is filled with illustrative examples that demonstrate how understanding the early processes can be helpful to today’s researchers. Studying Early Printed Books shows the connections between the material form of a book (what it looks like and how it was made), how a book conveys its meaning and how it is used by readers. The author helps readers navigate books by explaining how to tell which parts of a book are the result of early printing practices and which are a result of later changes. The text also offers guidance on: how to approach a book; how to read a catalog record; the difference between using digital facsimiles and books in-hand. This important guide: Reveals how books were made with the advent of the printing press and how they are understood today Offers information on how to use digital reproductions of early printed books as well as how to work in a rare books library Contains a useful glossary and a detailed list of recommended readings Includes a companion website for further research Written for students of book history, materiality of text and history of information, Studying Early Printed Books explores the many aspects of the early printing process of books and explains how their form is understood today.

This best-selling guide will help you get to grips with the larger themes and issues behind historical study, while also showing you how to formulate your own ideas in a clear, analytical style. Fully updated throughout, further advice on using web-based sources and avoiding plagiarism will equip you with the tools you need to succeed on your course.

The 2nd edition of Public History: A Practical Guide provides a fresh examination of history as practiced in its various worldly guises and contexts. It analyses the many skills that historians require in the practice of public history and looks at how a range of actors, including museums, archives, government agencies, community history societies and the media/digital media, make history accessible to a wider audience in a variety of ways. Faye Sayer's exciting new edition includes: * Brand new chapters on 'Restoration and Preservation' and history and the working world * Substantial additions covering the growing fields of digital history and history in politics * More images, figures and international case studies from the US, Australia, the UK, Europe and Asia * 'Personal Reflection' sections from a range of industry experts from around the world * Historiographical updates and significant revisions throughout the text * Expanded online 'Public History Toolkit' resource, with a range of new features Public History: A Practical Guide delivers a comprehensive outline of this increasingly prevalent area of the discipline, offering a distinctly global approach that is both accessible and engaging in equal measure. Finally, it explores future methodological possibilities and can be used as a reference point for professional development planning in the sectors discussed. This is the essential overview for any student wanting to know what history means beyond the classroom.

Widely acclaimed for its accessibility and engaging approach to the subject, the fourth edition of The Methods and Skills of History combines theory and instruction with hands-on practice, making it a comprehensive guide to historical research and writing. Combines theory with hands-on practice in its introduction to historical methods Includes a series of field-tested exercises designed to make the research and writing of history more meaningful and accessible to readers Features expanded coverage of writing history and up-to-date coverage of online research Designed to strengthen students’ critical thinking and communication skills