What do you think?
Rate this book
A Student's Guide to the Study Of History
To study history is to learn about oneself. And to fail to grasp the importance of the past 151 to remain ignorant of the deeds and writing of previous generations 151 is to bind oneself by the passions and prejudices of the age into which one is born. John Lukacs, one of today s most widely published historians, explains what the study of history entails, how it has been approached over the centuries, and why it should be undertaken by today s students. This guide is an invitation to become a master of the historian s craft. Author: John Lukacs. Pages: 50. Paperback. Publisher: Christendom Press. ISBN: 1-882926-42-2
50 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2000
32 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
John Lukacs
77 books115 followersLukacs was born in Budapest to a Roman Catholic father and Jewish mother. His parents divorced before the Second World War. During the Second World War he was forced to serve in a Hungarian labour battalion for Jews. During the German occupation of Hungary in 1944-45 he evaded deportation to the death camps, and survived the siege of Budapest. In 1946, as it became clear that Hungary was going to be a repressive Communist regime, he fled to the United States. In the early 1950s however, Lukacs wrote several articles in Commonweal criticizing the approach taken by Senator Joseph McCarthy, whom he described as a vulgar demagogue.[1]
Lukacs sees populism as the greatest threat to civilization. By his own description, he considers himself to be a reactionary. He claims that populism is the essence of both National Socialism and Communism. He denies that there is such a thing as generic fascism, noting for example that the differences between the political regimes of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy are greater than their similarities.[2]
A major theme in Lukacs's writing is his agreement with the assertion by the French historian Alexis de Tocqueville that aristocratic elites have been replaced by democratic elites, which obtain power via an appeal to the masses. In his 2002 book, At the End of an Age, Lukacs argued that the modern/bourgeois age, which began around the time of the Renaissance, is coming to an end.[3] The rise of populism and the decline of elitism is the theme of his experimental work, A Thread of Years (1998), a series of vignettes set in each year of the 20th century from 1900 to 1998, tracing the abandonment of gentlemanly conduct and the rise of vulgarity in American culture. Lukacs defends traditional Western civilization against what he sees as the leveling and debasing effects of mass culture.
By his own admission a dedicated Anglophile, Lukacs’s favorite historical figure is Winston Churchill, whom he considers to be the greatest statesman of the 20th century, and the savior of not only Great Britain, but also of Western civilization. A recurring theme in his writing is the duel between Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler for mastery of the world. The struggle between them, whom Lukacs sees as the archetypical reactionary and the archetypical revolutionary, is the major theme of The Last European War (1976), The Duel (1991), Five Days in London (1999) and 2008's Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat, a book about Churchill’s first major speech as Prime Minister. Lukacs argues that Great Britain (and by extension the British Empire) could not defeat Germany by itself, winning required the entry of the United States and the Soviet Union, but he contends that Churchill, by ensuring that Germany failed to win the war in 1940, laid the groundwork for an Allied victory.
Lukacs holds strong isolationist beliefs, and unusually for an anti-Communist émigré, "airs surprisingly critical views of the Cold War from a unique conservative perspective."[4] Lukacs claims that the Soviet Union was a feeble power on the verge of collapse, and contended that the Cold War was an unnecessary waste of American treasure and life. Likewise, Lukacs has also condemned the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In his 1997 book, George F. Kennan and the Origins of Containment, 1944-1946, a collection of letters between Lukacs and his close friend George F. Kennan exchanged in 1994-1995, Lukacs and Kennan criticized the New Left claim that the Cold War was caused by the United States. Lukacs argued however that although it was Joseph Stalin who was largely responsible for the beginning of the Cold War, the administration of Dwight Eisenhower missed a chance for ending the Cold War in 1953 after Stalin's death, and as a consequence the Cold War went on for many more decades.
Lukacs sees populism as the greatest threat to civilization. By his own description, he considers himself to be a reactionary. He claims that populism is the essence of both National Socialism and Communism. He denies that there is such a thing as generic fascism, noting for example that the differences between the political regimes of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy are greater than their similarities.[2]
A major theme in Lukacs's writing is his agreement with the assertion by the French historian Alexis de Tocqueville that aristocratic elites have been replaced by democratic elites, which obtain power via an appeal to the masses. In his 2002 book, At the End of an Age, Lukacs argued that the modern/bourgeois age, which began around the time of the Renaissance, is coming to an end.[3] The rise of populism and the decline of elitism is the theme of his experimental work, A Thread of Years (1998), a series of vignettes set in each year of the 20th century from 1900 to 1998, tracing the abandonment of gentlemanly conduct and the rise of vulgarity in American culture. Lukacs defends traditional Western civilization against what he sees as the leveling and debasing effects of mass culture.
By his own admission a dedicated Anglophile, Lukacs’s favorite historical figure is Winston Churchill, whom he considers to be the greatest statesman of the 20th century, and the savior of not only Great Britain, but also of Western civilization. A recurring theme in his writing is the duel between Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler for mastery of the world. The struggle between them, whom Lukacs sees as the archetypical reactionary and the archetypical revolutionary, is the major theme of The Last European War (1976), The Duel (1991), Five Days in London (1999) and 2008's Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat, a book about Churchill’s first major speech as Prime Minister. Lukacs argues that Great Britain (and by extension the British Empire) could not defeat Germany by itself, winning required the entry of the United States and the Soviet Union, but he contends that Churchill, by ensuring that Germany failed to win the war in 1940, laid the groundwork for an Allied victory.
Lukacs holds strong isolationist beliefs, and unusually for an anti-Communist émigré, "airs surprisingly critical views of the Cold War from a unique conservative perspective."[4] Lukacs claims that the Soviet Union was a feeble power on the verge of collapse, and contended that the Cold War was an unnecessary waste of American treasure and life. Likewise, Lukacs has also condemned the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In his 1997 book, George F. Kennan and the Origins of Containment, 1944-1946, a collection of letters between Lukacs and his close friend George F. Kennan exchanged in 1994-1995, Lukacs and Kennan criticized the New Left claim that the Cold War was caused by the United States. Lukacs argued however that although it was Joseph Stalin who was largely responsible for the beginning of the Cold War, the administration of Dwight Eisenhower missed a chance for ending the Cold War in 1953 after Stalin's death, and as a consequence the Cold War went on for many more decades.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 19, 2019
A bit hard for me because of the structure of sentence but the content is interesting.
August 7, 2018
Given the fact that some of these guides have gone over 100 pages, I figured that the guide to history would do so as well, given how large of a subject history is and how essential knowing it well is to being able to get along in our contemporary world. Yet this book is very sort and very much to the point, and that makes for some very intriguing thoughts. To be sure, this book ought not to be a burden to anyone who wants to better understand history as a student [1], and even those whose formal studies of history are or appear to be over at present will find much to enjoy in a refresher course in history like this one is. To be sure, this book certainly encourages the reader to take a further look of history, but more so than in most subjects this book is merely the tip of the iceberg and does not pretend to say everything that is worth saying about history. The fact that the author is an accomplished author of history and avoids the temptation to urge the student to read his books makes this an even better achievement.
The less than 50 pages of this book are divided into six parts. First, the author seeks to introduce the reader to oneself, because knowing our own history and where we come from gives us a connection to the larger history we study as students, and points out the relevance of what history tells us. After that the author talks about the history of history, examining the way that history sprang from a concern for chronicling the deeds of great people and important events like wars and religion. The author's discussion of the professionalization of history points to concerns within the academy for how history is conducted and how people will behave if they become professionals themselves. After this comes a brief discussion of the methods of history, both in examining sources as well as providing continually fresh interpretations of past events. The author talks then about the interest in history and how it is to be properly fed and cultivated through the reading of good qualities and quantities of historical works. Finally, the author closes with a discussion of the greatness of historical literature that all readers should have at least a passing familiarity with.
What the author considers to be great history is worth at least some comment. He talks about the standard Greek and Roman choices like Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, Livy, Julius Caesar, Tacitus, Pliny the younger and elder, Plutarch, and Seutonius (along with Edward Gibbon, famous for writing about the decline and fall of the Roman Empire). His choices for great history of the Middle Ages are a bit more obscure, and his choices for more contemporary history include Alexis de Tocqueville, Jakob Burckhardt, Henry Adams, Francis Parkman, William H. Prescott, Winston Churchill, and Arnold Toynbee, among others. By and large, this is a book about history that will give the reader at least some insight into what books to read more of, but one wishes the author had written more recommendations. At the very least, he can be praised for pointing out that to be a good historian one must be able to read well and write well, and to be a good history student one needs to read well, something that is often neglected in our times. Although I wish that this book was longer and had a lot more content, it can at least be praised highly and celebrated for saying well what it says, at least.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
The less than 50 pages of this book are divided into six parts. First, the author seeks to introduce the reader to oneself, because knowing our own history and where we come from gives us a connection to the larger history we study as students, and points out the relevance of what history tells us. After that the author talks about the history of history, examining the way that history sprang from a concern for chronicling the deeds of great people and important events like wars and religion. The author's discussion of the professionalization of history points to concerns within the academy for how history is conducted and how people will behave if they become professionals themselves. After this comes a brief discussion of the methods of history, both in examining sources as well as providing continually fresh interpretations of past events. The author talks then about the interest in history and how it is to be properly fed and cultivated through the reading of good qualities and quantities of historical works. Finally, the author closes with a discussion of the greatness of historical literature that all readers should have at least a passing familiarity with.
What the author considers to be great history is worth at least some comment. He talks about the standard Greek and Roman choices like Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, Livy, Julius Caesar, Tacitus, Pliny the younger and elder, Plutarch, and Seutonius (along with Edward Gibbon, famous for writing about the decline and fall of the Roman Empire). His choices for great history of the Middle Ages are a bit more obscure, and his choices for more contemporary history include Alexis de Tocqueville, Jakob Burckhardt, Henry Adams, Francis Parkman, William H. Prescott, Winston Churchill, and Arnold Toynbee, among others. By and large, this is a book about history that will give the reader at least some insight into what books to read more of, but one wishes the author had written more recommendations. At the very least, he can be praised for pointing out that to be a good historian one must be able to read well and write well, and to be a good history student one needs to read well, something that is often neglected in our times. Although I wish that this book was longer and had a lot more content, it can at least be praised highly and celebrated for saying well what it says, at least.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
June 21, 2022
Anybody Can Be A Historian!
This book is quite short, but gives readers an excellent introduction to the study of history. It is intended to be read by college students, but affords invaluable insights to readers of any age. This book begins by asking why students should study history, and goes on to give advice on how to go about studying history.
Here are a couple of takeaways that really impressed me:(
1. Anybody can be a historian. This line reminds me of the movie Ratatouille, of how Gustave told Remy, “Anybody can be a chef.” And this book is right—anybody can be a historian, provided one has the essential skills for studying and talking about history.
2. The key to becoming a historian is the ability to read, and the ability to reflect on what you’ve read. These are really simple skills, but if you’re willing to spend the time to read history books and then reflect carefully on what you’ve read, then you, too, can be a historian!
I myself have been a student of history for more than 40 years, and I found this book’s insights to be especially worthwhile. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the study of history, whether you’re a college student or not.
This book is quite short, but gives readers an excellent introduction to the study of history. It is intended to be read by college students, but affords invaluable insights to readers of any age. This book begins by asking why students should study history, and goes on to give advice on how to go about studying history.
Here are a couple of takeaways that really impressed me:(
1. Anybody can be a historian. This line reminds me of the movie Ratatouille, of how Gustave told Remy, “Anybody can be a chef.” And this book is right—anybody can be a historian, provided one has the essential skills for studying and talking about history.
2. The key to becoming a historian is the ability to read, and the ability to reflect on what you’ve read. These are really simple skills, but if you’re willing to spend the time to read history books and then reflect carefully on what you’ve read, then you, too, can be a historian!
I myself have been a student of history for more than 40 years, and I found this book’s insights to be especially worthwhile. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the study of history, whether you’re a college student or not.
Read
April 8, 2023An excellent little primer.
February 12, 2023
I was given this book by a family friend to read.
The real score of this book would otherwise be 3/5, however, there were myriad editorial mistakes such as spelling errors. Normally I can overlook these, but in a book that's just 40 pages long, there were far too many.
Otherwise this book is fairly unremarkable. I enjoyed some of the overarching narrative structures this book chose as its modus. It is a marginally romantic view of history as discipline, which is something I agree with and thus liked. However, it seems to fall prey to certain conditions which detract from its overall quality. I think that it takes as given a sort of 'great-man' of history concept to history itself, and I believe it leans broadly towards a 'conservative's view' of history - which mightn't be inherently problematic if the text wasn't a primer.
Broadly speaking, the work isn't particularly remarkable, and neither is it actively bad.
The real score of this book would otherwise be 3/5, however, there were myriad editorial mistakes such as spelling errors. Normally I can overlook these, but in a book that's just 40 pages long, there were far too many.
Otherwise this book is fairly unremarkable. I enjoyed some of the overarching narrative structures this book chose as its modus. It is a marginally romantic view of history as discipline, which is something I agree with and thus liked. However, it seems to fall prey to certain conditions which detract from its overall quality. I think that it takes as given a sort of 'great-man' of history concept to history itself, and I believe it leans broadly towards a 'conservative's view' of history - which mightn't be inherently problematic if the text wasn't a primer.
Broadly speaking, the work isn't particularly remarkable, and neither is it actively bad.
March 1, 2024
An essay by the noted Historian John Lukacs on the value of history for study by students is a brief but excellent summary of historical thinking.Lukacs makes the point that memory whether conscious or unconscious is critical to life( we remember what a door is, so we open it before walking through), that some of our memories are remembered, and of that number an even smaller number are recorded.All of us have histories and professional historians record some of it.A very good summary of the field, why students should study it , how history has developed as a discipline since the Greeks and a list of his favorite historians." History is the memory of mankind", he writes, and that is as good a description as any.
April 29, 2021
This was a good, concise introduction to the study of history. My main critique is that it glossed over the historians of the Rennaisance, such as Panvinio, Scaliger, and Petavius. It put much more emphasis on ancient and modern historians.
A lesser critique is that the author seemed to me to ignore the issue of authenticity when concerning the main events which lead to the founding of the religion he is a part of. He very briefly mentions problems of authenticity but does not mention anything of the sort when it comes to the historicity of Jesus Christ. There is a multi-century long tradition of arguments against the historicity of Jesus but no mention is made of that.
A lesser critique is that the author seemed to me to ignore the issue of authenticity when concerning the main events which lead to the founding of the religion he is a part of. He very briefly mentions problems of authenticity but does not mention anything of the sort when it comes to the historicity of Jesus Christ. There is a multi-century long tradition of arguments against the historicity of Jesus but no mention is made of that.
June 1, 2020
Fairly lame overview of the subject. Marred by several things, including its insistence that the Gospel of Luke is history corroborated by other historians (a demonstrably false assertion), paucity of real content, and bad links at the end that attempt to open a Facebook page (presumably for the publisher’s self promotion).
May 12, 2021
A Great introduction
This Guide is the perfect introduction to college students who are considering their Major or a lover of History
The Beginnings of History
the Philosophy Of History
The value of History.
Recommended books on the periods of History
A short but honest Critique of History and Historians.
A short but precise rendering of the Subject
This Guide is the perfect introduction to college students who are considering their Major or a lover of History
The Beginnings of History
the Philosophy Of History
The value of History.
Recommended books on the periods of History
A short but honest Critique of History and Historians.
A short but precise rendering of the Subject
February 6, 2017
Mark Twain wrote, "the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." Lukacs de-mystifies and de-glamorizes the study of history; stripping it of pomp and fussiness, he humanizes academia, and argues that everyone can be - and probably is - a historian. He quotes Swiss Jacob Burckhardt and asserts that there is no such thing as a historical method; rather, according to Burckhardt and Lukacs, "you must know how to read." Knowing the *right* way to read is important, but it's a skill that ought to be cultivated not only just as a prerequisite for historical studies, but a tool to truly know and love the world.
June 24, 2015
Really more of an essay than a book, this little guide gives a brief and easily-readable introduction to the discipline of history studies. It is written for undergraduates, and this group is really its most appropriate audience. It is a bit too much for high school students and a bit too little for anyone already aware of the major historians and the workings of university study. It has some nice little tidbits (though so many of them are footnotes that the reading experience becomes rather choppy) and presents a sound overview of history and its study.
March 25, 2020
This short guide to the study of history by John Lukacs is fantastic. He puts the study of history into a great context and shows the importance of reading history, understanding it, and applying its lessons to current problems. Lukacs makes the case for this often neglected academic discipline, and I would encourage all students to read this short book, and to absorb the author's wisdom and insight into the study of the past.
Read
November 21, 2009None
January 4, 2013
This series is phenomenal. So short and yet so poignant. Interested in history but not sure how or what to read, or what's worth your time. Start here, my friend. Look no further.
April 30, 2013
This short little book, or more like an essay on the study of history is a MUST for any university student or the serious amateur.
June 25, 2016
Great overview
This was an easy read which leads to a basic knowledge of the pursuit of learning what to seek out in the study of history.
This was an easy read which leads to a basic knowledge of the pursuit of learning what to seek out in the study of history.
September 19, 2016
Easily read in a day and one sitting. An interesting, short perspective on the history of history. Enjoyable and fruitful for the homeschooling mom that values a classical education.
January 29, 2011
Good introduction to the history of History. Produced the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews