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Biographical note
Raphael Samuel (1934-1996) tutored History at Ruskin College, Oxford, and was a founding editor of History Workshop Journal. His works include Theatres of Memory and Island Stories. For more information about his work, see The Raphael Samuel History Centre and Archive online.Whose history is it, then? That's the question driving Raphael Samuel's provocative investigation of the historically steeped nature of British culture ... A joy to read.
- Roy Porter, New Statesman
A brilliant and compelling historical vision.
- Jonathan Clark, The Times
An alluring, hugely energetic writer ... Samuel is invaluable.
- Fiona MacCarthy, Observer
Challenging, perceptive and gloriously eclectic.
- David Robinson, The Scotsman
Magnificent.
- David Edgar, Independent on Sunday
A showcase for Samuel's quite astonishing historical and cultural range.
- Stefan Collini, Times Literary Supplement
One of the most outstanding, original intellectuals of his generation.
- Stuart Hall,
In this remarkable book, Samuel looks at the many different ways we use the 'unofficial knowledge' of the past. Considering such varied areas as the fashion for "retrofitting," the rise of family history, the joys of collecting old photographs, the allure of reenactment societies and televised adaptations of Dickens, Samuel transforms our understanding of the uses of history. He shows us that history is a living practice, something constantly being reassessed in the world around us.