There are many stories we can tell about the past, and we are not, perhaps, as free as we might imagine in our choice of which stories to tell, or where those stories end. John Arnold's addition to Oxford's popular Very Short Introductions series is a stimulating essay about how people study and understand history. The book begins by inviting us to think about various questions provoked by our investigation of history, and then explores the ways in which these questions have been answered in the past. Such key concepts as causation, interpretation, and periodization are introduced by way of...

For most people in the middle ages--for thousands upon thousands who lived within Christendom in the period considered by this book, 1100-1500--we have no record of what they believed or did not believe. John Arnold sifts through the traces left behind by our ancestors across Europe and assembles a more complete picture than ever before. Religion in mediveal Europe was hugely important, and impinged upon the most mundane aspects of everyday life. But was the period a uniform "Age of Faith?" By focussing on lay people, this fascinating account unlocks the multiple meanings of religion, asking...

John Arnold has written a book which will serve well any student or new practitioner in the area of career management, both in terms of explaining how thinking has developed, and in looking forward to the complexities of the future' - Career Path, Institute Personnel and Development

This book has two purposes for education leaders. It provides understanding of the world of pupils will be moving into. More urgently, because it is not yet sufficiently recognised, it provides a framework for us to consider what is happening to teachers' careers now' - School...