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book: social history for family history



Hello Listservers:

I recently sought permission from the listserv overseers to share with
all of you information about my new book. The committee agreed that this
would be alright. After FGS in Salt Lake, Christine Crawford Oppenheimer
kindly mentioned it to you also in a reference to her own book on
Long-Distance Genealogy.

My book, BRINGING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY TO LIFE THROUGH SOCIAL HISTORY,
might be especially useful for archivists and librarians who advise
genealogists. The book's primary purpose is to teach family historians
how to research, interpret, and write about the historical context of
their families' lives for narrative family history. It has chapters on

the field and elements of social history
how to treat one's heirlooms as artifacts, in terms of interpretation and
care
oral history interviewing
photograph interpretation
historical correspondence
researching scholarly social history, especially through college
libraries
writing historically

In this book, I also strive to inform and advise genealogists against the
stereotypically bad behavior of "the dreaded genie" and how best to
assist information providers in assisting yourself.

I based the book on about 10 years of teaching courses on family history
research and writing. It addresses the reader as someone who could access
all of the resources and methods that historians do. I attempted to
convey this with down-to-earth language and human interest examples.

Below is some more information about the book from its cover publicity
and, at bottom, how to order it. I hope some of you will consider it for
your collections, programs, and selves. Thanks for your attention! Kathy
Sturdevant
_________________________________
Bringing Your Family History to Life through Social History
by Katherine Scott Sturdevant

ISBN 1-55870-510-4 w $19.99 (CAN $29.99)
242 pages w paperback w #70426
Betterway Books (F & W Publications, publishers of Writer's Digest Books)

     ?Friendly, witty, down-to-earth.  Katherine Scott Sturdevant . . .
bridges the gap between the genealogist and the historian.  She shows you
why social history is important to your research as a family historian, ?
how to determine what life was probably like for your ancestors, and how
to combine social history with your own family history.?
      ? Sharon Carmack, Certified Genealogist

?Katherine Sturdevant?s wonderful book takes genealogists to?the larger
meanings hidden in old photographs, jewelry, recipe collections, and
household artifacts, and she offers concrete examples of how to blend
family legends and genealogical data with knowledge gleaned from general
history books.?
     ? Patricia Cline Cohen, Professor of History,
          University of California at Santa Barbara

     Social historian and college history professor Katherine Scott
Sturdevant shows you how to use social history?the study of ?ordinary
peoples? everyday lives??to add depth, detail, and drama to your family?s
saga. She?ll provide the instruction you need to accurately investigate
your family?s unique history, including:

· Daily lives?Use the elements of social history as the background
context of your family history.
· Family photographs?Learn how to find, acquire, care for, analyze, copy,
and display them.
· Oral histories?Record your family?s oral traditions and folklore.
· Home sources?Collect the artifacts, heirlooms, memorabilia and
photographs within your family.
· Material folk culture?Discover the handmade artifacts that reflect
traditional ways of life with skills passed down from one generation to
the next.

You?ll learn how to collect historical information from hard-to-reach
sources and how to conduct research at university libraries. Finally,
she?ll show you how to create a written account of historical and social
value that will be a lasting treasure for generations to come.

Available from the publisher:

Call Toll Free: 1-800-289-0963          Betterway Books
Fax Toll Free: 1-888-590-4082           1507 Dana Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45207

Also available by order through most major on-line and in-store new
booksellers.

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