Introduction; Part I. A Ropes Course for Exploring the Territory: 1. Why textual data from the past is dangerous; 2. From fantasy to engagement; 3. Words are keys and words are barriers; 4. Critical search, a theory; 5. To predict or to describe?; Part II. The Many Windows of the House of the Past: 6. The many windows of the house of the past; 7. Of memory; 8. The distinctiveness of certain eras; 9. The measure of influence; 10. Of rock and fire; 11. Whither modernity; 12. What computers can explain and when to stop: a case study in the political history of climate change; Part III. Critical Thinking with Data Makes Stronger Disciplines: 13. A world map of culture, purged of bias; 14. The future of the art.