Review of 'The Oral History Reader', Rob Perks and Alistair Thomson (eds) 2nd edition, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2006, 578pp, £20.99 paperback

Abstract

I reviewed the first edition of 'The Oral History Reader' and set it as a text for undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in my distance education oral history unit. Students received reading guides and review activities for selected contributions, were directed to read specific chapters for specific topics, and were advised to become familiar with the broad narrative of the evolution of oral history offered by the book, as well to immerse themselves in contributions that were of particular interest to them. For some students the first edition was a little too costly and not always easy to obtain, but it certainly provided a terrific introduction to oral history scholarship and practice, and its impact could be measured in the depth and thinking of the work submitted. But, 'The Reader' did get outdated. Oral history has moved with the times. So it was with anticipation that I approached the second edition. My key questions were: How does the second edition differ? What has gone? What has been added? How well does it serve oral history in the early twenty-first century? And, more subjectively, how well will it serve my students as well as other audiences? (I have consistently recommended 'The Reader', twinned with the latest edition of Beth Robertson's 'Oral History Handbook', as key starting points for students and, indeed, for any oral history project.)