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| Author: Elizabeth Shown Mills
Publisher: Genealogical Pub Co
Category: Book
List Price: $49.95
Buy New: $39.17
You Save: $10.78 (22%)
Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 64587
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 885
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 2
ISBN: 0806317817
Dewey Decimal Number: 907.2
EAN: 9780806317816
Publication Date: June 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 The new standard in its field -- replacing the old standard by the same author! June 17, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I admit it -- when a new book is announced by Elizabeth Mills, I immediately put in an advance order, without even reading any reviews. I've heard her speak at dozens of conferences and seminars, local and national, and I've read (I think) all of her published articles. My regard for her professional expertise is such that anything she cares to say, I want to hear.
Taken by the main title alone, and by the announced length of the book, I was hoping for a grand collection of the author's thoughts on the ferreting out of sources, the evaluation of evidence gleaned from them, and the knitting of that evidence into a provable case. Sort of a distillation of her forty-plus years of accumulated wisdom in an area of family research in she is arguably the leading expert. The subtitle, though, is more accurate. Only twenty-two pages at the beginning address the subject of evidence and what to do with it.
The bulk of the volume is given over to a series of topical chapters of various types of source materials -- published books and articles, unpublished manuscripts, business and institutional records, census, church, and cemetery records, local and state records produced by courts and clerks, national governmental records, and laws and court cases. Another sizable section covers handwritten and electronic correspondence, records and other materials (often ephemeral) found on the Internet, and broadcast or televised source material. Each chapter and section is preceded by a "QuickCheck" list of concise models and examples of the citation formats under discussion. (Those for electronic sources expand on Mills's "QuickSheet: Citing Online Historical Resources," a four-page laminated ready-reference tool also published by Genealogical Publishing (revised edition, 2007). There's an immense amount of detail here, far more than in Mills's classic and now standard _Evidence!_ (1997). If you need to know how to cite the contents of the Norwegian Lutheran Church's registers, you'll find it on pages 362-65. In that regard, this volume should be considered the genealogical equivalent of the _Chicago Manual of Style,_ and as such, it's going to be the immediate standard for genealogical writing for publication. But it will probably be regarded as overkill for most hobby-level researchers. (The author would argue that every effort should be made to produce the best work possible, whether the researcher is a professional working for pay or a weekend hobbyist, . . . and I would agree. But still.) Perhaps this book would have been better conceived (and marketed) as a substantial expansion of _Evidence!_ And I'm still hoping to see that future work with Elizabeth Mills's name on it, called perhaps "Everything I Know About Genealogy."
Finally: Not to cavil, but one error on the very first page caught my eye, where the author quotes Lawrence of Arabia's warning that "All sources lie," and then refers to him (twice) as "Sir Lawrence." Actually, Col. T. E. Lawrence's given names were "Thomas Edward," and the proper style is therefore "Sir Thomas." The copyeditor really should have caught that.
Great Resource March 28, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is a must have for historical researchers and writers. Up-to-date it is a wealth of information. I would recommend this for every researchers library.
Necessary Research Tool March 11, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Ms. Mills latest book is a great tool for evidence citation in genealogy research. I have used it frequently since purchasing. I strongly recommend it.
Effective Tool April 5, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have only begun to use this reference tool but have been very impressed so far. I needed a guide to thorough citing of sources in my genealogical and historical research. I am an amateur and is has been many years since I learned documentation. I was thoroughly confused about how to document electronic sources.
This book gives numerous and specific examples of citations for a wide range of possible sources. Even if you don't choose to use an established style, you can easily discern what information is needed to provide for a return to the source of your information. It is very much worth the purchase price if you are desirous of effective documentation of your work.
Excellent Resource & Reference Book April 6, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Evidence Explained" by Elizabeth Shown Mills is by far the most comprehensive resource I have seen for accurately and effectively citing historical sources. The book is well organized and the author provides excellent citation examples for just about every source imaginable. Whether you are a novice or experienced researcher, I would highly recommend this book.
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