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Freely accessible eresource |
The study of how history is constructed. It involves the critical analysis and evaluation of historical methodologies and the way history has been written over time. From NESA Modern History Glossary
Browse the HSC Resources shelves and Reference shelves for books on a variety of topics. If you are studying an Australian topic you can also browse the Australian Reference collection in the Special Collections area.
Books available on the HSC Resources shelves include:
Fifty Key Thinkers on History by
Fifty Key Thinkers on History is a superb guide to historiography through the ages. The cross-section of debates and thinkers covered is unique in its breadth, taking in figures from ancient China, Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages, to contemporary Europe, America, Africa and Australia; from Bede to Braudel; Marx to Michelet; Ranke to Rowbotham; Foucault to Fukuyama. Each clear and concise essay offers biographical information, a summary and discussion of the subjects approach to history and how others have engaged with it, a list of their major works and a guide to diverse resources for further study, including books, articles, films and websites.
Writing Ancient History by
'History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon', said Napoleon. Yet the actual writing of history, especially ancient history, is a practice that often prompts more discord than assent. In his new textbook, Luke Pitcher aims to overcome the hostility which exists between two rival camps in their study of classical historiography. The first camp looks at the classical historians with an eye to what data they can provide about the ancient world. The second camp examines the ancient writers as literary texts in their own right, employing the tools of literary criticism and engaging with such matters as narrative artistry.Attempting to fuse these two - mutually suspicious - approaches, Luke Pitcher's attractive introduction offers undergraduate students of classics the first comprehensive introduction to historiography in antiquity on the market. It unites the nitty-gritty of the historian's trade (the finding and managing of data) to an awareness of the importance of style, form, allusion and composition. The book also seeks to do justice to individual classical historians, and discusses such important figures as Livy, Tacitus, Herodotus, Cicero, Plutarch and Lucian. A comprehensive bibliography and glossary are included. "Writing Ancient History" at last does full justice to the mechanics of history-writing in the ancient world.
Writing History by
Bringing together practical methods from both history and composition, Writing History, Fourth Edition, provides a wealth of tips and advice to help students research and write essays for history classes. The book covers all aspects of writing about history, including finding and researching topics, interpreting source materials, drawing inferences from sources, and constructing arguments. It concludes with three chapters that discuss writing effective sentences, using precise wording, and revising. Using numerous examples from the works of cultural, political, and social historians, Writing History serves as an ideal text in any history course that asks students to conduct research.
Use the library catalogue to find publications on history and guidebooks on academic writing.
More information:
If your topic concerns Ancient Australian history, there may be original materials or unpublished materials for you to access.
Original materials may include
oral history and sound record recordings such as oral histories, radio interviews and podcasts You can listen to some of this collection through the library catalogue or through Amplify which delivers audio material from a number of different cultural institutions including the State Library and NSW public libraries.
Search tips for the new library catalogue
A quick way to search in the catalogue and find manuscripts and pictures (or other materials if you choose):
Aboriginal archaeological sites and artifacts [PXA 1212]
Bronze figure, probably Spartan (British Museum) ©Putinovac
Get detailed advice from presenters at the State Library/Sydney Living Museums' History Extension Project seminar, and read prize-winning essays by former students from the History Teachers' Association's annual Extension Essay Prize.
See the eresources pages at left for recommendations of specific databases for different types of information:
Mitchell Library Reading Room
© State Library of NSW
