Accurate documentation is at the heart of writing good history. The five uses of footnotes the author itemizes can really be applied to any aspect of historical writing. One, it allows other people to test the conclusions. Two, the discriminting reader is shown where to find greater verificaion. Three, a challengeable statement can be traced to its point of origin. Four, quotation accuracy is assured. Five, researchers who wish to explore related topics have bibliographical leads in the documentation.
A writer of history is professionally obligated to re-create the atmosphere of the era Gottschalk says. And he adds that that skill can be learned. Readers are encouraged to see history from the human viewpoint, not just as a collection of facts and dates. He talks about a good historian as one who can put himself in the place of individuals of other times.
Two terms of his profession are defined for the readers. Historical method is the process of critically examining and analyzing the records of the past. Historiography is defined as the imaginative reconstruction of the past from that data.
Whether one is interested in writing history or being a critical consumer of it this book provides insight on the process that makes both consumer and producer better.