This famous study examines important questions about historians and their work - Why do we study history? How do we construct our knowledge of the past? What are the limitations of historical evidence? and What different kinds of history are being written today?

The subjects covered in the book are difficult and sometimes controversial and John Tosh has proved himself an admirable guide in this justly-celebrated work. His cool eye and lively pen make the issues clear and involving; and he makes the reader vividly aware of just how far our historical knowledge is conditioned by the character of the sources and by the methods of the historians who work on them.