Review by Choice Review
Readers of Versions of History from Antiquity to Enlightenment, ed. by Kelley (CH, Mar'92), will recognize this book as its companion piece. The earlier work offered a selection of readings from historiography of the period covered; Faces of History treats historians. The difficulties Kelley faced are the same in both cases: how to present a history of historiography for centuries in which history's identity was, in the modern perspective, a hazy one. Over long stretches of time, rhetoric, theology, and philosophy laid claims to what now is that of the discipline of history. Hence, the selection of historians for inclusion in such a study demands a high degree of expertise and complex judgments. Kelley, a well-known historian of the early modern period, has written a fine account. He provides, in most cases, biographical sketches of historians, lists their important works, and remains close to their texts to elucidate their views of history. To achieve a sense of unity to the story of historiography Kelley intertwines texts and ideas over the long span of centuries. The careful reader will find the book rewarding. Upper-division undergraduates and above. E. A. Breisach; emeritus, Western Michigan University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
