J. R. Vincent (1937–2021)

One of the better "introductions" to history and its ugly step-sister: historiography. I put "introduction" in quotes because Vincent assumes that you already have a good background in the history of history. He drops names as if he were trying to impress a girl (Clio?) on a date. The difference between Vincent and others is that he writes well and is quite funny, to the point of political incorrectness. He slays historical dragons to the political left and right. Bias? Other show more historiographers talk about it, try to show you how to work around it, Vincent revels in it, lauds it. Kings and Battles? Oft-degraded, Vincent shows it is no different from any other type of history - it's all a construct (and biased). Like the postmodernists, but without all the hand-wringing and anti-capitalististic, anti-Western Civilizationism, he notes that historians are a product of their environment. Why do historians lean left? They are beholden to the quasi-socialist State. That's one explanation, I think there are a few more, but I hadn't thought about it in the particular fashion he lays out, however.

I heartily recommend this slim volume for the committed historian (there's a pun in there). show less