''Not only one of our most distinguished historians but also one of the most valuable contributors to historical theory'' Spectator

In formulating an answer to the question of ''What is History'', Carr argues that the ''facts'' of history are simply those which historians have chosen to focus on. All historical facts come to us as a result of interpretive choices by historians influenced by the standards of their age.

Now for the first time in Penguin Modern Classics, with an introduction by Richard J. Evans, author of the Third Reich trilogy.