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History

A set to the chin

History of argument, not narrative
by Judith Brett
August 2025, no. 478

John Hirst: Selected writings by Chris Feik

Black Inc., $36.99 pb, 336 pp

ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.

It is common today for historians to describe what they do as telling stories about the lives and events of the past, using the narrative techniques that they share with fiction writers: describing place, weather, clothes, the set of a leading character’s chin, and so on. But as a disciplined, evidence-based enquiry, history writing is also about argument and interpretation.

 


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John Hirst: Selected writings by Chris Feik

Black Inc., $36.99 pb, 336 pp

ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.


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Comments

Kym Houghton
Friday, 08 August 2025 08:55
Thank you for this article on John Hirst. I have known of him for a long tome and foolishly disdained his work. Now, I have learnt. Thank you.

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