900 CAR 1

A primer for all would-be historians - young, amateur or practising. ( )

Interesting book on History that I read back when I changed my college major from English to History, '82? Don't remember much but it did not keep me from that major, so it must have been OK. ( )

I have never formally studied History, which I regret to some degree, though if that which was studied was narrow minded and focussed perhaps I did not miss much.

But I have particularly in more recent years more History. And I continue to be astonished by:

- why did I not know this?
- why were we not told this?
- can this really be true?
- how do we get this out to other people?

I don't want to turn this into a polemic as to:
- the treatment of the (Australian) First Nations Peoples ...if you want to start somewhere try Reynolds' Truth Telling History https://www.librarything.com/work/book/219595497
- the treatment of African Americans ...try Ta-Nehisi Coates; Kris Manjapra and for that matter Geraldine Brookes' novel Horse;
- the disregard of other nations...try Poskett's Horizon: A Global History of Science https://www.librarything.com/work/book/216911764

but if you wish to travel down one or more of those roads, please do so.

So what does Carr offer in his G M Trevelyan Lectures delivered in the University of Cambridge in Jan - Mar 1961? That is my life time ago ...can it still be relevant? My answer is 'certainly yes'.

But first it was certainly ( )

The legendary Sikh historian Professor Balwant Singh Dhillon suggested I read this book when I interviewed him on Sikh generalissimo Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.

https://anchor.fm/the-sikh-renaissance/episodes/Rediscovering-Banda-Singh-Bahadu...

He emphasized that E.H. Carr had transformed his generation's understanding of both history and historiography. Given the fact that the Carrian school of History has withstood the test of time, despite being besieged by post-structuralism, I decided to read What Is History?.

Carr transformed my entire perspective of History and historiography.

His epochal arguments structuring the rationale behind accepting History as an evolving science introduces a tectonic shift behind the purpose of History as well as why we pursue it. His dry wit and simplistic language makes his words a pleasure to read.

Penguin's current edition incorporates a brief biography of Carr; an introduction by Richard J. Evans and reproduces Carr's original summaries.

A must read for all students as well as Masters of History. ( )