About the Author
Stephen J. Lee's Approach to History
Since he published his first book in 1977, Stephen J. Lee has always endeavoured to provide two main approaches to History.
- One is History as a record of the past. It includes a certain amount of narrative and the interweaving of events and trends into a comprehensible pattern: this, in turn, involves selection.
- The other is History as a method of enquiry. All records are based on interpretation — and interpretation changes. Historians disagree in their assessment of events and periods, sometimes dramatically.
His books provide a combination of the two approaches. Some, especially in the Questions and Analysis series, deal explicitly with historical and historiographical issues. All encourage readers to come to their own conclusions.