History : it's about time -- What's the story with history? -- The sources of history -- Good answers begin with good questions -- Search engines, research ingenuity -- How to read a book without ever getting to chapter one -- Analysis : the intersection of reading and writing -- Making a case : an argument in three parts -- Defining introductions -- Strong bodies (I) : the work of topic sentences -- Strong bodies (II) : exposition and evidence -- Strong bodies (III) : counterargument and counterevidence -- Surprising conclusions -- Scaling the summit : crystallizing your argument -- Writing is rewriting : the art of revision -- Putting it all together : the research essay (a case study) -- Conclusion : the love of history.