JOHNSON CITY – Dr. Richard Marius, who retired as the director of Harvard University's Expository Writing Program, enjoyed a long academic career, highlighted by many historical works and novels. In an effort to aid student historians he created a practical handbook designed to steer readers through the intricacies of historical research.
Marius, a native East Tennessean, also taught for many years at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, as well as Gettysburg College. In addition to other speaking engagements, he delivered the spring commencement address for East Tennessee State University in May 1994.
After Marius' death in 1999, the guide's publisher was determined to keep the “valuable little guidebook” available for current and future students. The Longman division of Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers approached Dr. Melvin Page, a professor of history at ETSU, to undertake the task of updating a fourth edition of the book.
Page uses the guidebook in the classroom. And he had worked with Marius for several years helping ETSU undergraduates master historical research and writing.
Changes in the latest edition reflect an increasing emphasis on world history; technological advances such as online databases and Web resources available to historians; advice on the advantages and limitations of automated organizing, note-taking, grammar and spell checking programs; and updated examples for citing electronic sources in notes and bibliographies.
“I had always found Marius's Short Guide helpful and to-the-point for my students,” Page notes, adding, “I am honored to be asked to prepare the fourth edition of this valuable work. Even in these unusual circumstances, collaborators such as Richard Marius are hard to find. I count myself fortunate, indeed.”
The fourth edition will include two examples written by ETSU students: an essay, “Manifest Destiny: A Characteristic of Nations,” by Penny Sonnenburg, and a book review by Sabrina Shilad of Alfred F. Young's 1999 book, The Shoemaker and the Tea Party.
Page, a Ph.D. graduate of Michigan State University, is the author or editor of four previous books, most recently The Chiwaya War, a study of World War I and its effects on the small African country of Malawi. He also initiated, and for the past seven years has taught, a course on historical methods required of ETSU history majors.
For further information, contact Page at the ETSU history department, (423) 439-4222.