The Varieties of History: From Voltaire to the Present by Fritz Stern

The Varieties of History: From Voltaire to the Present Reviews

• 
  Andrew Davis

  Being a history buff only, I was afraid this book would be a way be too much for me. I wasn't disappointed. Certainly, a must for the professional historians, though it does some merit for the amateurs like myself.
  
  The book contains a number of essays written by famous historians or philosophers, explaining how they view history, how it should be worked on and presented to a wider audience. It starts with Voltaire, continues with Macaulay, Carlyle, Fogel and ends with C. Vann Woodward.
  
  They discuss a role of history in society, its increasing specialisation, what its scope should be, what are its aims and its relationship to truth. They also argue that history should not only merely reflect the facts but also aim to explain their causes and rationale.
  
  Perhaps, the most "humorous" are the arguments of historians, either working or supporting the authoritarian or totalitarian regimes. Pokrovsky argues that "history is the concrete investigation of concrete social questions. Most importantly we must unite the historical work we are carrying with the proletariat's fight against wage slavery." Walter Frank, a Nazi historian, declares that German historians are "blood of blood and flesh of flesh of your Revolution and your Reich. We, and with us our work have become great in the turbulence of your Revolution". One best stays away from such "historians"
• 
  Walt

  Reading through this book is a Herculean effort. I disagree with other reviewers who regard this as an excellent primer for historiography. This book is much more dense than a primer, and rarely mentions historiography, even if that is the focus. The book traces the transformation of History from its esteemed beginning in Philosophy through the increased specialization of the modern era. Stern covers many historians and a few 'pre-historians' in this impressive book.
  
  Stern chooses to let the historians and their precursors speak for themselves. The book is an anthology of musings from many people on the subject of history. Each excerpt answers the general questions: 'what is history to you?' and 'how do you study history?' Some authors are more difficult than others. It is difficult to distinguish between the many excerpts as the differences are almost minimal. A few readings are in response to other readings. And there are some definite breaks in theory such as the debate on whether history belongs to philosophy or literature.
  
  I was hoping to have a primer on historiography. I was hoping to have clear and succinct historical models I can emulate in my own research. However, that is not the case. Stern offers his readers an introduction to each reading, but these are usually less than one page and rarely offers analysis. The introductions are more like biographical sketches. I do not question Stern's knowledge. I question his presentation. The complexity of the readings, the brief introductions, and the overall lack of analysis clearly shows that this book is not for lay audiences; but rather masters in the field. This is not a book for the reader with a casual interest in history.
• 
  Hilary

  If you don't know what the word "historiography" means, this book should explain it. The essays span a broad cross-section of history, and are definitely the definitive and interesting parts of longer works from the authors, so it was a well-chosen and well-organized book that taught me a lot. If you don't care what the word "historiography" means, this book is not for you.
• 
  Dr.

  A historian must-read. The quintessential explanation of the different historical movements, their impact, strengths and weaknesses. Understanding this book basically earns you a bachelors in history (minus the other 12000 pages you have to read...)
• 
  Sasha (bahareads)

  grad school reads - no thoughts just vibes.
• 
  Joe

  Excellent primer on historiography: the history of history. It explains the origins and evolution of historical study, from Herotodotus to the 20th century. It is faciniting to learn how the way history has been written has changed through the centuries, and how much of it has been influenced by philosophy.
• 
  Brandon

  This book is an useful tool in the study of historiography. It is an overview of modern historiography.
• 
  Dena

  I was looking for Five Germanys I Have Known by the same author and found this on kindle. I need to order the other book but this looked interesting as well.
• 
  zack

  it could use an update.