History in Crisis?: Recent Directions in Historiography

Being a first year grad student studying American diplomatic history, I was (and am) barraged by historiographical terms that were foreign to me. My undergrad classes in history mentioned NOTHING on historiography. I had no idea what the difference between postmodernist history and Ranke's school of thought in the 19th century was. Wilson's book has cleared up much of the confusion and gives a good, concise summary of the debates and movements in history. The stuff contained in this book is vital for students who wish to pursue a career in history, especially if the student wants to join the current debates on where the profession is headed. With this being said the book is not for undergrads. I genuinely pity the biology student who has to read through Wilson's philosophical and historical musings. Wilson is not very forgiving when it comes to basic knowledge of key historical writings and he moves quickly from point to point. I believe the marketing of this book was done poorly, misleading many readers. But again, if you are a grad student who is feeling "out-of-the-loop" on historical debates about history, give the book a try. It is concise and full of useful knowledge - so long as you come in with a foundation to work with.

After years of searching for a suitable basic introductory text for undergraduate courses in the philosophy and method of history, I was pleased to happen upon Wilson's book. He is clear, concise and as comprehensive as one could hope for in such a brief work. My only complaint is that it is rather pricy for such a slim text.