Preliminary thoughts on what makes a good history book.

First of all, let me be clear: "History," as I use it here, refers to how the past is represented, interpreted, understood, etc. "History," then, is not to be confused with the actual past.

Over the past few months, I've read a lot of history books. Not as much as I should or could have, of course, but still a fair number. So, although I make no claim to expertise, I do have a few opinions about what kind of written history I think is good. And because I'm not feeling up to the challenge, I present my thoughts to you in point-form (which is definitely NOT how I think good history should be written):

- The author should have a clear overall argument which comes through the book. This doesn't mean the reader needs to be beaten over the head with it, but it should be there. The author should make clear subarguments throughout.
- A balance needs to be struck between being circumspect as needed and pointing out areas of continuing uncertainty or debate, and thoughtful, nuanced judgement about the past and its peoples.
- The text should be at least somewhat lively. The past, after all, was moving, entertaining, surprising, etc., but never boring. So historians shouldn't write about it like it was.
- Good, thorough research in primary and/or secondary sources (as appropriate) is key. Some evidence of broader questioning and engagement with bigger disciplinary and other issues is also important.
- The author should have thought---and hopefully told readers---about why (s)he wrote the book. And I don't just mean, "because there was a gap in the literature"---though this is fine as one reason---but the author should have reflected on what really made that topic interesting to him/her and how this influenced the shape of the final product.
- A good acknowledgements section. This is really important. Seriously. This is where authors acknowledge intellectual (if they don't do it elsewhere in the book) and personal debts, and tell readers something about the process of researching and writing the book. Oh, and slightly less important is a nice and/or meaningful cover.

That's it for now. (Too vague? Maybe.)

Tomorrow: A day in the life of a history grad student.