Customer Reviews
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........... - By: Mr. Daniel P. Mcgrady, 04 Nov 2008 
Overly complex, arrogant & long-winded - I had to read this book for my degree, & hated every second of it.
E.H Carr, a great thinker - By: M. N. R. Maynard, 07 Aug 2008 
EH Carr was a great thinker, & in this series of lectures published in What Is History he tackles deep philosophical questions with a wit & intelligent investigation that is difficult to dislike. A bit wordy in places, & a bit mind boggling in others, What Is History is still thought provoking & interesting, just as it should be.
A classic of Historiography - By: D. R. Clarke, 13 Aug 2007 
I have always been interested in the theoretical side of history & this remains one of the best books to start with. It has been a few years since I was at University, but this used to be a set text for first year undergraduates, in order to give them some understanding of the 'history of history'. Carr's text is highly readable & his analogies very useful - ie. thinking of historians as merely individuals in a very long, winding procession of people through a mountainous vallley - looking back at events going on further back in the queue, their views differing according to whereabouts in the procession he or she was at the time. Still a great starting point for an often complex subject.
What is History? Good question - By: , 22 Oct 2003 There are many definitions of what History is, & what it means for different sections of society at different times. E.H. Carr's primary argument is that the interpretation of history from certain historians is dependent upon their position in society, & indeed are formulated by society's view of the period. One historian writing in the 1950's may have a totallly different interpretation of events that, say, a present day historical writer.
This book is a fascinating account of historical arguments through time, & is reallly useful if, like me, you are studying for a History degree at University!!!
Compulsive reading but (unnecessarily?) complex in places - By: , 20 Mar 2002 
This collection of essays by the late E. H. Carr is particularly interesting to any student of historiography, or indeed the general reader. It clearly outlines his thoughts on the subject of the theory & philosophy of history, & he illustrates his ideas well, bedding down abstract concepts with concrete examples. The only criticism, aside from objections to his theories, is that Carr occasionallly leaves the more earth-bound reader behind. So gymnastic is his intellectual ability that he makes leaps from abstract trapeze to abstract trapeze, leaving the reader lost & blank, forcing them to read & re-read. Aside from that this is an excellent collection, complemented well by the discussion about Carr's notes towards a second edition. Should be read in conjunction with I. Berlin's essays on history (to be found in The Proper Study of Mankind), which Carr attacks throughout.
