Essaying the past : how to read, write, and think about history / Jim Cullen.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction to the student: why would you look at a book like this? -- Thinking and reading about history -- History: it's about time -- What's the story with history? -- The sources of history -- Good answers begin with good questions -- Search engines, research ingenuity -- How to read a book without ever getting to chapter one -- Writing about history -- Analysis: the intersection of reading and writing -- Making a case: an argument in three parts -- Defining introductions -- Strong bodies (I): the work of topic sentences -- Strong bodies (II): exposition and evidence -- Strong bodies (III): counterargument and counterevidence -- Surprising conclusions -- Scaling the summit: crystallizing your argument -- Writing is rewriting: the art of revision -- Putting it all together: the research essay (a case study) -- Conclusion: the love of history.