h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: From the Horse's Mouth: Homestead and Carnegie from Primary Sources - A87844747
Author: Dmitri Gheorgheni - U1590784

Yes, yes, too much Andrew Carnegie. But I was moved to research by PR...it's your fault.

Anyway, what this entry is trying to do is to use an event in history to demonstrate to researchers just how important primary sources are. We've got 'em now, no excuse for not using 'em...

And it might help answer the question as to why we write Guide Entries, when 'all that stuff's already on the internet'....er, plenty of work for us to do...

Fun fact: Carnegie was about five feet tall.

PS after adding internal links:

For shame, ye Scottish Researchers! Where are the entries on Bannockburn, Wqilliam Wallace, etc?

This is excellent I learned about primary sources in my History lessons at school, but this demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of them neatly if only my lessons had been that good... But never mind - I enjoy history more now anyway

The only thing I wasn't clear about as I read through was Pinkerton.

Ah, thanks - I'd better put in a footnote about the Pinkertons.

And I'm glad this hit the spot - you've just made an educational writer feel good.

Pinkerton footnote added.

This is interesting and well illustrates that you can't get to the truth about a historical event by just reading second-hand accounts.

But, while it might not be hard to find primary sources about Carnegie, I'm not sure how I'd go about finding them if I wanted to, say, write about the battle of Bannockburn.

Ahem.

The first thing you do is open up Google.

Type in 'Bannockburn primary sources'.

Ignore people who are trying to sell you things, such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Find this:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/higherscottishhistory/warsofindependence/robertbruce/sources.asp

Here are an excerpt from a chronicle, and an extract from the Declaration of Arbroath, 1320.

Go down the page to Spartacus Educational. Spartacus is a great site - you'll always find things there that aren't in other places. Be aware that they're terribly Socialist, which is why I love 'em. At the bottom of that page, note the primary sources;

http://spartacus-educational.com/NORbannockburn.htm

There are also ballads about the Battle of Bannockburn. Youtube can be helpful here, but care should be taken to vet these performances. Otherwise, you might end up citing the Corries as an authentic source......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpgc6eJje-U

In short: yes, primary source searches are WORK. But boy, are they FUN.

Thanks Dmitri.

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