Making History Count: A Primer in Quantitative Methods for Historians

Description

Making History Count introduces the main quantitative methods used in historical research. The emphasis is on intuitive understanding and application of the concepts, rather than formal statistics; no knowledge of mathematics beyond simple arithmetic is required. The techniques are illustrated by applications in social, political, demographic and economic history. Students will learn to read and evaluate the application of the quantitative methods used in many books and articles, and to assess the historical conclusions drawn from them. They will also see how quantitative techniques can open up new aspects of an enquiry, and supplement and strengthen other methods of research. This textbook will encourage students to recognize the benefits of using quantitative methods in their own research projects. The text is clearly illustrated with tables, graphs and diagrams, leading the student through key topics. Additional support includes five specific historical data-sets, available from the Cambridge website.

'This is an excellent book which serves two purposes. It fills a much needed gap in the literature for the historian who isn't particularly happy in handling numerical data. it also benefits other students who require a passing knowledge of statistics. nothing to my knowledge, has come on the market since Maroney's Facts from Figures in the 1950s provides such an extensive insight into statistical methodology.' Open History 'No competitor text is as effective ... I wish this text had been available when I was trying to teach quantitative methods.' The Times Higher Education Supplement '... this is a very impressive, an d very welcome, book. Feinstein and Thomas are to be congratulated for producing a comprehensive, nontechnical introduction to quantitative methods for historians which I am sure will soon be compulsory reading on every course catering to such an audience.' Business History '... no competitor text is, to my knowledge, as effective in taking the student from the basics of descriptive statistics through to the intricacies of multiple linear regression ... I wish this text had been available when I was trying to teach quantitative methods to numerically challenged historians...'. Times Higher Education Supplement