Announcing the Myths of History Series

Hackett Publishing Company is pleased to announce the inauguration of the Myths of History Series under the general editorship of Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt.

Following the model of the initial volume–Seven Myths of the Crusades (2015)–each book in the series will explore and debunk or rectify selected popularly held misperceptions, misconceptions, exaggerations, and outright lies regarding a significant historical period, phenomenon, or person. Such a book may be authored by a single historian or, as is the case with Seven Myths of the Crusades, a team of historians. Regardless, each author will be a teaching historian whose scholarly expertise in a given subject is matched by the ability to write clearly and accessibly for both an undergraduate audience and the reading public.

The aim of the series, which is global in scope and spans all time periods, is to involve students and general readers alike in the venture of exploring the origins and evolution of selected myths and misconceptions about the past and the reasons why professional historians have either rejected, called into serious question, or substantially revised these popular notions. Rather than being a frontal assault on “bad history,” each book in the series will endeavor to show, in a clearly written and engaging manner, how and why such myths have emerged and in what ways historians have endeavored “to set the record straight” when they have encountered misrepresentations or outdated perceptions of significant historical events, eras, and people.

Historians interested in suggesting Myths of History topics or, more importantly, wishing to participate in this series should contact either or both of the series editors, Alfred J. Andrea (aandrea@uvm.edu) and Andrew Holt (aholt@fscj.edu), for further information.

See also: Myths of History: A Hackett Series