Jim Cullen - Essaying the Past. How to Read, Write and Think about History [2012][A]

Book Description
Publication Date: July 10, 2012
The second edition of Essaying the Past features a variety of updates and enhancements to further its standing as an indispensible resource to all aspects of researching and writing historical essays.

***Includes expert advice on writing about history, conducting good research, and learning how to think analytically
***Includes a new chapter addressing common situations that represent steps in the transition from a rough first draft to a final version
***Covers important topics such as framing questions, developing a strong introduction and topic sentences, choosing good evidence, and the crucial role of revision
***Includes an annotated case study that takes the reader through one student’s process of writing an essay, illustrating how strategies in the text can be successfully implemented
***New edition features updates to cultural references, a newly written preface, and reorganized table of contents

Reviews
“Newly revised and better than ever, Essaying the Past remains the single most useful resource for history students and instructors in high school and college.”– Burke Miller, Northern Kentucky University

“Jim Cullen presents a compelling case for the historical essay as a tool of learning and plots the course for success with a rare combination of clarity, sophistication, humor, and easy candor.”– James E. Wadsworth, Stonehill College

“A clear, concise and engaging guide to the practice of history. Jim Cullen excels in walking students through all the steps of researching and writing a persuasive paper.”– Carter Jones Meyer, Ramapo College of New Jersey

“In this first-rate book, Jim Cullen delivers a concise and accessible guide to the critical work that historians do: reading, writing, and thinking about history. Students will find it informative and a pleasure to read.”– Elizabeth Smith-Pryor, Kent State University

“With lucidity, verve, and empathy, Cullen lays the writing process bare, including fumbles, setbacks, and paths not taken. In analyzing the writing of history, he also shows why it matters.”– Roberta Pergher, The University of Kansas

About the Author
Jim Cullen teaches history at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City. Cullen, a former Preceptor in the Expository Writing Program at Harvard University, is the author of several books, including The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation (2003) and the forthcoming, provisionally titled Sensing the Past: Hollywood Actors as Historians.