About the Author

JOHN TOSH is Professor of History, Roehampton University, UK. He is the author of the standard introductory text, The Pursuit of History, now in its fourth edition. He has also published extensively on the history of masculinities in Britain, including A Man's Place: Masculinity and the Middle-Class Home in Victorian England.

Product Description

John Tosh argues we are in danger of missing history's principal contribution, and provides a practical introduction to thinking with history. This text articulates the practical relevance of studying History and its importance in our society today. It capitalizes on the current popularity of history to demonstrate ways in which it can contribute not merely to entertainment, but as a vital tool to understanding the modern world. All undergraduate students of History take at least one introductory historiography course, for which this text would be relevant. John Tosh is author of the bestselling introductory text "The Pursuit of History" and highly respected in the field.In this introduction to the practical application of History, John Tosh persuasively argues we are in danger of missing history's principal contribution. Using topical examples from the Iraq War to AIDs to globalization, this text shows how history can provide the basis for an informed and critical understanding of our society.

Preface; Prologue: Britain in Iraq; Contending Histories; Other Worlds; Becoming Ourselves; Parallels in the Past; The Family in Crisis: a Case-Study; History Goes Public; The Citizen's Resource; Conclusion; Notes; Select Bibliography