Letter: A. J. P. Taylor - still making history

Sir: The critique of A. J. P Taylor by Gareth Stedman Jones uses arguments which are questionable on two grounds.

First, the implication that historians should have a good political agenda (in this case, to "assuage traditional English mistrust of all things German") is a dangerous one. Recent political pressure on British historians to foster the sense of national identity was not, I imagine, favoured by Dr Jones himself.

Second, the value of the concept "great historian" itself seems dubious, like that of "great people" generally.

Modern society cuts people down to size, and no longer expects or concedes heroic stature. If anything, it responds more readily to "troublemakers", and this of course was Taylor's preferred self-image.

Yours truly,

CHARLES TOWNSHEND

Department of History

University of Keele

Keele, Staffordshire