What is the art of writing history?

Answer 1

Historians are a special breed of scholars. They devote their academic lives to the area of history they love the best. Some historians rise above their fellows, because they have a "knack" for writing in a way that promotes a special interest in their works, or perhaps a reputation for discovering new historical information. They spend months or years in researching a different take or angle on a part of history they know the best. What we have then are good historians and those historians who, like painting artists, are outstanding historians who create a following for themselves, nationally or perhaps even internationally because of the appeal of the way they write or based on their ability to uncover new information concerning a particular subject in history. Art is in the eye of the beholder. With that said, take the life and death of Abraham Lincoln. In 2002, there were about 6,000 books on the life of this great US president. There seemed nothing new to write about Lincoln. Well, not the case. Recently, an author not regarded as a great historian, collaborates with another writer and their work titled "Killing Lincoln" makes the NY Times best seller list. Few facts about the death of Lincoln are unknown. Yet despite this, the book sells because some people believe that the two writers have an "art" when it comes to the details of Lincoln's assassination. Many people will disagree that the book is a work of art. Opinions are always numerous on a figure such as Abraham Lincoln.