The Companion to Historiography is an original analysis of the moods and trends in historical writing throughout its phases of development and explores the assumptions and procedures that have formed the creation of historical perspectives. Contributed by a distinguished panel of academics, each essay conveys in direct, jargon-free language a genuinely international, wide-angled view of the ideas, traditions and institutions that lie behind the contemporary urgency of world history.

Known today largely for dating the creation of the world to 4004BC, James Ussher (1581-1656) was in fact a key figure in early-modern Britain and Ireland. From helping to give Protestants in Ireland a sense of Irish identity by tracing their roots back to St Patrick, to leading the Church of Ireland as archbishop of Armagh, he played a significant role in the events leading up to the outbreak of the English civil war as an exile in England in the 1640s. Tracing the interconnectionsbetween Ussher's scholarship and his wider religious and political interests, Alan Ford throws new light on a seminal figure in the history of Irish Protestantism.

This dual biography “deftly revisits 17th century Scotland to assess the roles of…two charismatic nobles who fought for supremacy” (Scotsman, UK). The struggles of the Scottish Civil War of 1644-45 could easily be personified as a contest between James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose and Archibald Campbell, 8th Marquis of Argyll. Yet at first glance there seems to be more that unites them than separates them. Both came from ancient and powerful families and considered themselves loyal subjects of Charles I. Both were also betrayed by Charles II and died at the hands of the executioner. In The Rivals, Murdo Fraser examines these two remarkable men and shines a light on their contrasting personalities. Montrose was a brilliant military tactician, bold and brave but rash. Campbell was altogether a more opaque figure, cautious, considered and difficult to read. The resulting volume offers a vivid insight into two individuals who played a significant part in writing Scotland's history, as well as a fascinating portrait of early modern Scotland.