Praise for the second edition "Jim Cullen presents a compelling case for the historical essay as a tool of learning and plots the course for success with a rare combination of clarity, sophistication, humor, and easy candor." James E. Wadsworth, Stonehill College "With lucidity, verve, and empathy, Cullen lays the writing process bare, including fumbles, setbacks, and paths not taken. In analyzing the writing of history, he also shows why it matters." Roberta Pergher, University of Kansas Praise for the first edition "There's a level of sophistication in Essaying the Past that is disguised by its utterly clear and engaging style. Jim Cullen tells students just what they need to know to write about the past." Mari Jo Buhle, Brown University "The ultimate insider's guide to historical writing, the new gold standard in the field." Kerry Walk, Otis College of Art and Design Part research manual, part study guide, and part introduction to the study of history, Essaying the Past is a complete resource for high school, college, and graduate-level students.

Jim Cullen guides the reader through the nuts and bolts of producing good historical prose, discussing key strategies such as framing questions, developing a strong introduction and topic sentences, choosing good evidence, and the important role of revision. Beginning with a survey of the field, this book offers useful insight into how to read and understand a wide variety of historical sources, as well as providing an introduction to historiography, helpful tips for conducting research, and a discussion of what it means to think and read analytically. Cullen also offers a set of appendices that cover the major issues facing students of history today, among them the dangers of plagiarism, the role of the Internet, and the need for correctly annotated and formatted footnotes and bibliographies.