A survey of the variety of readings we have of the past and of how those readings are used in the present day to validate, discredit, unite, or divide. To write history is to consider how to explicate the past, to weigh the myriad possible approaches to the past, and to come to terms with how the past can be and has been used. In this book, prize-winning historian Jeremy Black considers both popular and academic approaches to the past. His focus is on the interaction between the presentation of the past and current circumstances, on how history is used to validate one view of the present or to discredit another, and on readings of the past that unite and those that divide. Black opens with an account that underscores the differences and developments in traditions of writing history from the ancient world to the present. Subsequent chapters take up more recent decades, notably the post–Cold War period, discussing how different perspectives can fuel discussions of the past by individuals interested in shaping public opinion or public perceptions of the past. Black then turns to the possible future uses of the then past as a way to gain perspective on how we use the past today. Clio’s Battles is an ambitious account of the engagement with the past across world history and of the clash over the content and interpretation of history and its implications for the present and future. “Remarkable both for its geographical scope and historical scale, and for its command of scholarship on a breathtaking range of subjects. I can’t imagine another historian who could attempt such an ambitious work or pull it off with such aplomb.” —William Gibson, Oxford Brookes University “Refreshing . . . Black eschews “Eurocentricism” and includes considerable material on other areas of the world that one does not usually find in such a work. Typical of Black’s writing, there is much to learn in the numerous small asides throughout the text. Taken together these form an impressive whole.” —Spencer C. Tucker, VMI

"To write history is to consider how to explicate the past, to weigh the myriad possible approaches to the past, and to come to terms with how the past can be and has been used. In this book, prize-winning historian Jeremy M. Black considers both popular and academic approaches to the past. His focus is on the interaction between the presentation of the past and current circumstances, on how history is used to validate one view of the present or to discredit another, and on readings of the past that unite and those that divide. Black opens with an account that underscores the differences and developments in traditions of writing history from the ancient world to the present. Subsequent chapters take up more recent decades, notably the post-Cold War period, discussing how different perspectives can fuel discussions of the past by individuals interested in shaping public opinion or public perceptions of the past. Black then turns to the possible future uses of the then past as a way to gain perspective on how we use the past today. Clio's Battles is an ambitious account of the engagement with the past across world history and of the clash over the content and interpretation of history and its implications for the present and future"--Provided by publisher.

Born in Germany, Georg Iggers escaped from Nazism to the United States in his adolescence where he became one of the most distinguished scholars of European intellectual history and the history of historiography. In his lectures, delivered all over the world, and in his numerous books, translated into many languages, Georg Iggers has reshaped historiography and indefatigably promoted cross-cultural dialogue. This volume reflects the profound impact of his oeuvre. Among the contributors are leading intellectual historians but also younger scholars who explore the various cultural contexts of modern historiography, focusing on changes of European and American scholarship as well as non-Western historical writing in relation to developments in the West. Addressing these changes from a transnational perspective, this well-rounded volume offers an excellent introduction to the field, which will be of interest to both established historians and graduate students.

Much is known about the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Relatively little is known about the wars to conquer the Trans-Appalachian West; the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Yet, in terms of political ramifications and intrigue, military strategies and tactics, and interactions between different entities and individuals, these campaigns rank high on the scale of complexity and interest. Just as other wars highlighted great generals; Washington, Lee, and Grant, and memorable battles; Spotsylvania, The Bulge, and The Persian Gulf Flank Run, the Trans-Appalachian Wars had impressive features as well. These wars encompassed the five action phases: The Indian (or Woodland) Wars, 1790-1795, The War of 1812 in the Old Northwest, 1811-1813, The Creek War, 1813-1814, The War of 1812 in the Old Southwest, 1814-1815, and The Stabilization of the Gulf Coast, 1811-1818. They brought to the fore three great generals; Mad Anthony Wayne, William Henry Harrison, and Andrew Jackson, who fought and won five great battles: The Battle of Fallen Timbers, August 20, 1794; The Battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 1811; The Battle of the Thames, October 8, 1813; The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, March 27, 1814; and The Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815.

Surveys the one hundred most decisive battles in world history from the Battle of Megiddo in 1469 B.C. to Desert Storm, 1991.

Clio's Warriors examines how the Canadian world war experience has been constructed and reconstructed over time. Tim Cook elucidates the role of historians in codifying the sacrifice and struggle of a generation as he discusses historical memory and writing, the creation of archives, and the war of reputations that followed each of the world wars on the battlefield. Only recently have military historians pushed the discipline to explore the impact of war on society. In analyzing where the practice of academic military history has come from and where it needs to go, Clio's Warriors plays a vital role in the ongoing challenge of writing critical history.

Clio at the Table provides important historical perspectives on contemporary education policy issues. Based on a conference held in honor of Carl Kaestle, one of the most eminent education historians in the United States, the book includes chapters that address some of the major concerns of U.S. education today, all of which are particular foci of Kaestle's work: urban education, equity, the role of the federal government, and national standards. On each topic, the book presents summaries of new research and explores the uses of history to help further the connections between historical analysis and policy analysis. It will be particularly useful in courses on education history and policy.