The Craft of Public History: An Annotated Select Bibliography.
Edited by David T. Trask and Robert W. Pomeroy III for the National Council on Public History. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. 1983. Index. 481 Pages. $49.95.
Although this bibliography was probably prepared for use in the new public history programs springing up in the universities all over the country, its uses go way beyond that. The book represents an effort to provide a guide to the literature of the basic fields of applied history: research and writing, management of historical agencies, archives and records, genealogy, editing, historical resource management, library science, the media, oral history, and public policy. It would be an invaluable aid to anyone working in any of the aforementioned fields. For instance, if you were doing genealogical research, this book would guide you to the literature on basic genealogical research methods and sources, how to find ancesters abroad, how to make best use of periodicals, guidebooks, handbooks, manuals, indexes and directories. For one running a historical society, The Craft of Public History could lead you to literature on marketing, internal relations, financial and human resources, and information management. The entries are arranged by topic (easily obtained from the table of contents), and include articles, books, government reports and related materials. Each entry is annotated, often at some length, to enable the user to determine if that item would be useful. The Craft of Public History should be on the reference shelf of every public history institution, and in the library of every public historian who can afford it.
