History Buffs United discussion

What's the best place for research for your historical period and chosen place? I work in Georgian Scotland (for the most part): I have a long list of published books on the period, but I also enjoy visiting archives to read old letters, or prowling through graveyards for names and inspiration. What works best for you?

At the moment for me it is about World War II, I am German, my mother being German and my father was English. I grew up in Germany but moved to England many years ago. The strange thing is, German people do not like to talk about this time in history. When my first book was translated into German and published it was very controversial in my home town. That was until it was read.

I write about 16th-century Russia, which is my nonfiction research specialty. So I have a lot of books and even primary sources in my office. I also use local university libraries, as well as various online sources.

When those fail, I throw myself on the mercy of my colleagues. If they can't help, I feel free to make stuff up.

The strange thing is, German people do not like to talk about this time in history.

That's because many of us have the feeling that everything has been said about it. Media keep it stuffing down our throats, but increasingly putting people off. Like me, I have read and heard so much about this part of history that I am fed up beyond the rim with that and avoid any story with Nazis in. Why wouldn't we do the Stasi for a change?

Although I always say history is among the things I write about, as it is true. Yet what often interests me more is pre-history.I am therefore lucky to be surrounded in the west of Scotland by ruined, Dun's, Broch's, ancient standing stones and circles, monoliths, hill forts and even nearby a Crannog.
Of course writing about those time periods is as much a mystery as anything and therefore the facts that you do use must be correct as many would notice. I have a pretty large library, as many online resources about prehistory (no fault, it is simply a time period of millions of years rather than tens or hundreds) are not that accurate but mainly i spend my time wandering about the hills looking at the monuments i mentioned before.

That sounds like a brilliant way to do research!

Thanks Lexie, I feel sure that it would not be for everyone but I enjoy it. There is so much mystery and wonder at these places that your imagination runs wild. What did the people that lived there think, imagine, worship and do in their day to day lives. I am getting old now and twenty years is a small time period for me but when you visit the standing stones at Kilmartin your perception changes. Some of these stones have stood for many thousands of years, most predate Christianity, many predate the rise of the Greek city states like Athens and Sparta, if in a lower form. Some are earlier still and were erected in an unknown world before writing existed anywhere (even if you accept the lay of Gilgamesh is correct, which i personally do, when most do not) It is both beautiful and terrible to write of such times as all you can do is make best guesses based upon archaeological data.
Still I have never given up though i write of those things and times far less now.