BookFronter
What Is History? by Edward Hallett Carr

What Is History?

Edward Hallett Carr

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · October 12, 1967

A History pick for readers exploring What Is History?.

Historiographyhistoryphilosophyscience
More
historical
Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A compact entry point if you want history treated as a live question, not a settled.
Genres
Historiography
Published
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, October 12, 1967

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.

  1. OrientalismEdward W. Said50% match
  2. The Hitler of HistoryJohn Lukacs55% matchShares Historiography
  3. The Historian's CraftMarc Bloch, Peter Putnam61% matchShares Historiography
  4. The Armies of the NightNorman Mailer50% match
  5. Clues, Myths, and the Historical MethodCarlo Ginzburg, John Tedeschi54% matchShares Historiography
  6. Twenty Years' Crisis, 1919-1939Edward Hallett Carr58% match
  7. RubiconTom Holland, Little, Brown Audio53% match
  8. The Romantic RevolutionTim Blanning, Timothy C.W. Blanning49% match

For younger readers: Big Lies, Imperialism, Famous Men of Rome

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

Who is to say how things really were? In formulating a modern answer to the question 'What is History?' Professor Carr shows that the 'facts' of history are simply those which historians have selected for scrutiny. Millions have crossed the Rubicon, but the historians tell us that only Caesar's crossing was significant. All historical facts come to us as a result of interpretative choices by historians influenced by the standards of their age.

Continue reading

Yet if absolute objectivity is impossible, the role of the historian need in no way suffer; nor does history lose its fascination. With lucidity, Carr casts a light on the proper function of the historian and the vital importance of history in modern society. “This is an admirably stimulating and intrepid book, a bold excursion into a region of central importance where most contemporary philosophers and historians, unaccountably, either fear or disdain to tread.”—Isaiah Berlin, New Statesman

History, Reframed

A compact entry point if you want history treated as a live question, not a settled.

Come here for

  • history, philosophy, and the argument between them
  • classroom-ready framing of a classic

Expect

  • conceptual, discussion-friendly prose
  • best approached for study or guided reading

Where it sits

Historiography100%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Education Research
  • Historiography
  • Studying History
Authors
Edward Hallett Carr
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published
October 12, 1967
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Education Research