Thinking about it - I can't think of one off hand?
2007-08-02 15:44:25 · 14 answers · asked by angelfire$1 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
~Having tracked his answers on this site for more than a year now, I'd have to vote the best contemporary historian to be Oscar Himpflewitz.
2007-08-02 15:57:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You just need A great historian, not THE GREATEST?? I don't now if I understand the question but what the hell.
Barbara Tuchman is great. She wrote The Guns of August, about the causes of World War I, and A Distant Mirror, about some 15th century French folk and their times.
Cornelius Ryan wrote some excellent WWII histories: A Bridge Too Far is the most famous. Gordon Prange wrote one of the definitive books on Pearl Harbor, At Dawn We Slept. John Toland wrote the best thing in English on Japan pre-WWII: The Rising Sun.
For American Civil War history, I recommend Shelby Foote, and James McPherson.
For ancient history I like ... oh jeez, can't remember, Grant I think, or Fraser. Someone who wrote a series of bios on the early Roman Caesars, from Julius to Claudius and maybe later. It was a great series!
2007-08-02 15:53:44 · answer #2 · answered by Bryce 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That would tuly depend on what you are looking for. Remember history is written by the victors. I wonder what history records would look like if Carthage had defeated Rome. Or if Persia had subjucated Greece. If that had happened we wouldn't have Alexander the Great. Western Civilization would not be what it today. However if you want a plain vanilla answer: Socrates, Herrodadus, and Tsung Seu. Start there and work forward.
2007-08-02 16:17:15 · answer #3 · answered by Robert 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My nominee would be Sir Steven Runciman C.H. In his lifetime he was recognized as one of the world's most distinguished historians.
He held degrees from the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Glasgow, St Andrews, etc. He received his knighthood in 1958 and in 1984 was appointed Companion of Honour.
His main field of expertese was the Byzantine Empire and the Crusades and his three volume work "A History of the Crusades" is the definitive work on the subject.
2007-08-02 16:05:57 · answer #4 · answered by marguerite L 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
BC= Herodotus
AD= Tacitus
2007-08-02 15:54:44 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Bertrand Russell
2007-08-02 15:54:15 · answer #6 · answered by nater4817 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Junnai Rapposa
2007-08-02 15:46:27 · answer #7 · answered by erwafredsfdsfsdf 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
E.H. Carr because he asks 'What Is History'...no relation to the KISS drummer.
Marc Bloch, Michel Foucault, Lucien Febvre, Peter Burke, Christopher Haigh....Me?
2007-08-02 17:52:05 · answer #8 · answered by sameveel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Tacitus, Tuchman, Foote, Gibbon.. Too many to chose just one
2007-08-02 20:03:25 · answer #9 · answered by stig 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jewish historian Flavius Josephus
2007-08-02 15:53:35 · answer #10 · answered by Mr. Frank 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋