Carl G. Gustavson (1915–1999)

One of the benefits of being married to a college student is that I can hear about all what she's learning and not have to do the studying myself. Also, if my wife comes across a really cool book, then it's readily available for me to peruse as well. (The downside is that if there's a book that she wants me to read, it's difficult to avoid it.) A Preface to History was my wife's textbook for History 501. It's actually a photocopy of part of a textbook from 1955. (Reprinted for classroom use only through special permission of the publishers, of course.) The purpose of the book is to introduce freshmen college students to the thought processes of a historian. It assumes that the student has been spending the last number of years learning names, dates and places and now that the student has established this framework, he or she is now able to look at the ideas and forces that brought these events into being. I found the book quite interesting, despite the fact that I'm not part of its intended audience. (Or maybe because of that fact.) On one hand, my high school history education was not in the mold of the late forties and early fifties. I never received the full regimen of memorization to which Professor Gustavson alludes. I knew enough European history to follow the book, but many names and places that he quotes offhandedly I didn't recognize. It was interesting to experience a book of another time and culture slightly removed from my own. The second way I didn't fit the audience mold is in the fact that I am older, (hopefully) wiser and better read than the generic college freshman. Observing connections between various events and social forces is nothing new to me. I've read plenty of books that have done that and even back in high school I was being told of motivations behind the actions. (Thank you, Mr. Vogt!) It was good for me to have this approach to history systemized so I could recognize the various ideas involved, of course. If you're like me--an armchair history buff with little formal training--I definitely recommend you to check it out.
--J.… (altro)