Favourite Historian and why

[bailey_187]

Who is your favourite historian(s) and why? If any?

Is it a particular style of wriitng a historian has or a particular area to the said Historian writes about?

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

Barbara Tuchman because she makes historical dramas dramatic, as opposed to those who might snuff out any life from the events they disect.

For all I know she's a B grade historian, but The Guns of August was great.

[BobKKKindle$]

Elizabeth J. Perry is one of my favourites, she's a specialist historian who's written quite a few excellent articles and books on Chinese labour history and oppositional politics in the PRC. Proletarian Power is great, and at the moment I'm reading through Shanghai on Strike, which is, as the name suggests, is about the history of the Chinese working class in Shanghai during the 1920s and 30s, right up until the founding of the PRC in 1949. Her articles on the Shanghai strike wave in 1957 and agrarian opposition in the 1950s are also well worth checking out. Rana Mitter is also great - I don't agree with some of his main arguments, but he makes good reading nonetheless.

[Invader Zim]

Simon Schaffer, because he bought me a drink.

[ComradeOm]

Big fan of Hobsbawm's 'long century' trilogy. Also like Davies' work on the early Soviet economy. Been reading a bit of Moshe Lewin as well recently

I'm also almost ashamed to admit that I have a soft spot for Tom Holland

[JohannGE]

I have recently enjoyed reading three of Anthony Beevors books, Stalingrad, The Battle for Spain, Berlin - The Fall. All very accessible and as readable as a good novel.

[The Ungovernable Farce]

I really like Zinn, his People's History of the US is excellent and accessible. Dunno if Barbara Ehrenreich quite counts as a historian, but I really rate her Dancing in the Streets as well. Ronald Fraser and Sheila Rowbotham are good as well...Mark Steel's again not so much of a "serious" historian, but he does make history-from-below really accessible. And of course we can't forget the immortal works of the great Nick Heath (http://libcom.org/tags/nick-heath). ;)

[Die Neue Zeit]

Lars Lih's studies of Soviet history and of Second International history are nothing less than superb.

[red cat]

Can Mao Dze Dong be considered to be a historian? :D

[Frantz Fanon]

pat butcher, love the way she tells tales of days gone by:)

[ComradeOm]

How could I have forgotten Rabinowitch? His trilogy on the Bolshevik party of 1917 should be required reading for anyone with an interest in the Russian Revolution

[Zanthorus]

Rudolf Rocker. You can probably guess why :)

[Dervish]

Jacob Talmon is definitely a great historian.

[Искра]

My history professor. Her book about WWI is really good. Also one French guy who's name I can't spell.

[bricolage]

Hobsbawm probably.

[The Ungovernable Farce]

My history professor. Her book about WWI is really good.
Does she have a name?

[maya]

William Gibbon - just for the language. Never read anything written so well.

E. H. Carr - For his strictly functional and unemotional approach.

[Cymru]

That's a tough one. Ive been reading bits a bobs of Robert Service lately and I'm enjoying his writing. Suny is also a great Historian. Stannard is high on the list Also.

[RHIZOMES]

Michael Parenti, if he counts as a historian.

[gorillafuck]

Michael Parenti, if he counts as a historian.
Sometimes I think some stuff he says is probably inaccurate, but overall I agree he's a very good writer/speaker. I found out about him through listening to his clips that are played at the beginnings of some Choking Victim songs.

[Kléber]

A tie between C.L.R. James and Leon Trotsky.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Read a good book by McCauley recently on Russia, although he was historically mistaken, his writing style was rather enjoyable.

I'm waiting for some newbie to come and say Robert Conquest:lol::lol::lol: