Herman Paul offers a thematic introduction to the theory and philosophy of history. In his own words, he addresses undergraduates: “It does not aim to cover everything historical theorists find worth discussing. It merely hopes to arouse readers' interest, to stimulate them to reflect on the ways in which human beings relate to their pasts and to provide them with some intellectual tools for doing so.”
But to be honest, this nevertheless is a tough piece of work. Paul does his best to make the material palatable, but the final effect is that this is a very encyclopaedic overview of very different views on history itself, and on historical research.
This is the translation of an originally Dutch-language book (Als het Past Trekt), albeit slightly edited. Paul has condensed the text and adapted some examples to an English-speaking audience.
More in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2614854947 ( )