Figuring History

Book excerpt: In the past half-century the writing of history has been the object of much critical scrutiny by literary scholars, philosophers, and historians. History painting has traditionally been an important topic in art history. The illustration of history books, in contrast, has not attracted much attention. This study is a preliminary inquiry into the changing ways in which graphics, ranging from representational images to statistical charts, have been used to enhance or illuminate historical texts. Lionel Gossman, M. Taylor Pyne Professor of Romance Languages Emeritus at Princeton University, is the author of many books and journal articles on historians and the writing of history. Illustrations.