An Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Historians

Many statements made by historians are quantitative statements involving theuse of measurable historical evidence. The historian who uses quantitativemethods to... » 

Many statements made by historians are quantitative statements involving theuse of measurable historical evidence. The historian who uses quantitativemethods to analyse and interpret such information needs to be well acquaintedwith the particular methods and techniques of analysis and to be able to makethe best use of the data that are available. There is an increasing need fortraining in such methods and in the interpretation of the large volume ofliterature now using quantitative techniques. Dr Flouds text which is relevantto all branches of historical inquiry provides a straightforward andintelligible introduction for all students and research workers.The simpler and more useful techniques of descriptive and analytical statisticsare described up to the level of simple linear regression. Historical examplesare used throughout and great attention is paid to the need to ensure that thetechniques are consistent with the quality of the data and with the historicalproblems they are intended to solve. Attention is paid to problems of theanalysis of time series which are of particular use to historians. No previousknowledge of statistics is assumed and the simple mathematical techniques thatare used are fully and clearly explained without the use of more mathematicalknowledge than is provided by an Olevel course. A bibliography is provided toguide historians towards the most useful further reading. This student friendlytext was first published in 1973. «