Perhaps he left a diary? <g>
Legitimate criticism, I'm sure, though I haven't noticed it myself, and I haven't read the book you refer to. The thing I like about Tuchman is that she is willing to take a large slice of history and place the events contained therein in some kind of context, at least attempting to point out, if not fully explain, cause and effect. This is not ideal scholarship, perhaps, but it provides a most helpful framework for more detailed reading. I wouldn't say someone who read A Distant Mirror has received an education on the 12th century, or that someone who has chewed through Sand Against the Wind knows all about modern China. But for the non-scholar who needs a solid general overview, or for someone who is starting a reading program on these subjects, or for someone who has read several detailed works and is having a hard time putting them into a functional context, they are very effective works.
They are also easy to read, which helps a lot, especially when the target is the lay reader who is looking for a functional overview. |
