Miniatures

A Reader in the History of Everyday Life

edited by Kate Ferris and Huw Halstead

Book cover: Miniatures

Extent: 368 pages

Publisher: University of Exeter Press

Subjects: Social Sciences , Twentieth- & Twenty-First- Century History

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(May 2025)

ISBN: 9781804130018

6.1 x 9.17 inches

Price: $140.00

In stock

Demonstrates that the ‘big picture’ in history is best seen through the study of individual and local stories. By collecting a diverse range of primary sources alongside critical commentaries from the researchers who use them, we demonstrate the appeal and potential of studying everyday life as a means of understanding how history unfolded.


This documentary history is the first to present readers with the rich and innovative source base deployed by everyday life historians, at a time when everyday life history approaches are gaining ever-increasing traction in historical research and history syllabi. The reader comprises (approx.) 30-40 primary sources alongside short commentaries provided by researchers working on the history of everyday life, often in extraordinary, unusual, or turbulent times from the late nineteenth century through to the twenty-first century. The sources are carefully selected to offer detailed and textured explorations of micro-scale situations and practices – what the German historian Alf Ludtke called ‘miniatures’ – thereby demonstrating the appeal, fascination, and potential of everyday life history.

  • Edited by Kate Ferris
  • Edited by Huw Halstead