HIST 482: American Historiography: Biography Sources

With profiles of some 200 women historians, this book offers an opportunity to explore women historians' motivations, accomplishments, and rich legacies.

Although historians talk about each other's work routinely, they have been reluctant to record their thoughts about the leading practitioners of U.S. history. Robert Allen Rutland attempts to remedy this state of things with this collection named for Clio, the Greek muse vested with the inspirations of history. The volume offers a glimpse of the lives and work of historians who must be considered among the most remarkable from the last half of the twentieth century. The roll call of excellence for Clio's Favorites was established after Rutland informally polled some twenty-five historians, asking them to name the outstanding workers in the field of U.S. history since the end of World War II. Among the criteria for selection were: quality (not volume) of the historian's work; influence in the field of study; importance of his or her graduate and undergraduate teaching; and the figure's public persona as reflected by awards, honors, and involvement in public service.

The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writingcontains over 800 entries ranging from Lord Acton and Anna Comnena to Howard Zinn and from Herodotus to Simon Schama. Over 300 contributors from around the world have composed critical assessments of historians from the beginning of historical writing to the present day, including individuals from related disciplines like Jürgen Habermas and Clifford Geertz, whose theoretical contributions have informed historical debate. Additionally, theEncyclopediaincludes some 200 essays treating the development of national, regional and topical historiographies, from the Ancient Near East to the history of sexuality. In addition to the Western tradition, it includes substantial assessments of African, Asian, and Latin American historians and debates on gender and subaltern studies.

The Blackwell Dictionary of Historians provides an authoritative and readable source book for students and specialists. It includes entries on over 450 historians, dating from Herodotus to the present. Individuals have not necessarily been chosen on account of the importance of their own research but rather for their interest in, and influence on, the theory and practice of history and the role of the historian. In particular the Dictionary includes details of historians most frequently encountered by students following courses on historiography. Over 200 specialists have contributed to the Dictionary which is organized alphabetically, and includes a comprehensive index.