| Product: |
History Today |
| Date: |
04/07/06 (66 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: a fantastic resource for the general history buff
Disadvantages: pot luck as to what subjects you get
Its quite a difficult task to review a magazine that by its very nature is never the same two issues running. The bulk of the magazine is a collection of articles and essays which very in style and content by their subject matter and not least by their author. However there are some common factors on which the magazine is founded, and it is with them that we shall begin.
History Today has been around for a long time and is widely acknowledged as the premier history periodical in circulation today. Although my research into its past proved inconclusive the magazine has been a popular publication back into the sixties and if the number system hasn't changed then it seems to have had its birth not long after the Second World War. It is a monthly publication, currently costing £3.80, with a postal delivery via subscription and a website to back it up, but more of that later. It is a standard layout for western magazines, A4 is size, 64 pages in length and in full colour with loads of photos and pictures to accompany the articles.
As a general statement, History today is not designed as an entry level approach to the subject of history, but neither is it the high brow haven of the dusty academic but manages to span the middle ground. Useful for serious researchers and the curious amateur historian alike. It also combines a collection of lengthy articles that provide an in depth view of a particular subject as well as smaller pieces, snippets and soundbites that report items, often breaking news, in a more newspaper like style.
After a page of information, index and acknowledgements, the magazine gets going. The first item is from editor Peter Furtado and is normally an overview of the articles to be found within and often tries to find a common thread that relates to the themes presented therein. The format to the texts lay out follows a standard and is broken down as follows.
Features.
Normally five main articles form the bulk of the magazine and are generally contributions from known authors in the history field, although articles are accepted from any one who can write to the magazines standards, so budding historians take note. The range of subjects covered here is as immense as history itself and can therefore be a little off putting to those who only have a very special area of interest. History today however is aimed at a reader who is open to all areas of history and those interested in specific areas, such as Ancient, Levantine or Medieval may have to delve a bit deeper to find a magazine that suits their needs. An example of the wide ranging nature of the articles can be found by looking at the recent issue and its featured articles. "When Turks Civilized the World" is a look at the way Kemal Ataturk re-wrote Turkish history as part of the modernization process of the new Turkish nation in the 1930s. Two articles of a more medieval nature feature in the form of "The Hunting Year" deciphering the calendars featured in a Book of Hours fro Germany around 1500 and "Base Matter into Gold" a biography of Thomas Charnock and the science of Alchemy. "Another Little Patch of Red" discusses the effect of the British Empire on everyday citizens and "Animal Farm: Sixty Years On" gives an overview of the lasting legacy of Orwells classic novel, an article which was particularly useful in the writing of my recent review of the same.
Cross Current
Generally two other articles similar to the Features make up this section and they tend to be articles that although historical in nature, relate to present circumstances. In this issue the system of Roman coinage is compared to the Euro of today and a second article looks at the origins of modern school examination.
Todays History
Modern history is viewed through eye witness accounts, an examination of the key events of the twentieth century through the eyes of the survivors. Often this has a bias towards the Second World War, but it is a bias that can be forgiven as very soon eye-witness accounts of this conflict will be unobtainable.
Frontline
The early pages of the magazine contain a collection of smaller articles, more snapshots than in depth articles, but again a diverse arrangement of subjects. Amongst these is the Round and About page, which contains a listing of galleries and exhibitions, museums and lectures that are currently available to the historian. These can be as wide ranging as living history days were all periods are presented to the public to galleries showing Islamic art to a lecture on Charles Darwins ship, the Beagle. Also hear is History in the Media, a collection of paragraph length items pertaining to current historical items in the news and television programs of interest.
Reviews
As would be expected a review of new book releases is to be found towards the back of the magazine and the reviewers are normally authors in their own right, who better to judge the worth of the titles available?
The magazine does contain a few advertisements but these are at a minimum, the sum total would be no more than a page or two, so value for money remains undiluted my non-productive items. As I said before articles are accepted by any writer but the core seems to be supplied by authors and lecturers in their own right and so the standard remains very professional but without alienating those from outside the academic circle.
The website mentioned earlier could be the subject of a review of its own, but I'm not the man for the job, though I would look forward to anyone undertaking such a challenge. A brief overview will suffice for now. All the articles are available from past magazines,and can be accessed in two forms. Either by purchasing an on-line subscription, as you would for the magazine itself, or through a pay-per-view system where by you can purchase access to articles as you wish. There are study guides, books, competitions and polls to be undertaken and seems to be a good substitute to buying the actual magazine. I'm, however, one of the old school and like nothing better than sitting down, magazine in hand, and wandering through the places and times past that are unlocked by this wonderful publication.
If you are a fan of history then this is a fantastic way to indulge your love of the subject. It covers a very broad range of topics but is food for a hungry mind and will satisfy the most eager history buff and serious student alike. And all that for £3.80 a month. What a joy, what a challenge, what a bargain.
Summary: a fantastic suplplement for history readers that will both deepen and broaded their knowledge
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Last comment:
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freediveheaven - 04/07/06 I would probably find this interesting but I struggle to keep on top of my current reading material. |
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