In many ways Heritage and Challenge is a unique book. Both synoptic and readable by nonexperts, it combines a brief yet scholarly history of historical writing with a concise, sophisticated analysis of the major philosophical or theoretical issues that confront historians. While many books attempt to describe historiography and the philosophy of history separately, no work manages to combine both topics in the effective, coherent manner of Conkin and Stromberg. The historical section is philosophically informed, and the philosophical section closely relates to historical practice. A chapter on recent trends (including women's history, "quantitative" history, and psychohistory) and a detailed bibliography add to the usefulness of this book.#educational#history