Very often, how we think about history is the result of our interaction and learning from other historians. Over the years, there have been several who have made a great impact on me.
Some of these historians are well known, others are less so. Several have caused me to think deeper about issues, about history, and about the learning and teaching of history. A few have simply been wonderful to read; their books difficult to put down.
This unfortunately, is a picture of the great British Marxist historian, Professor Eric Hobsbawm (1917 - 2012).
He is actually a very well respected historian, although I don't quite agree with his leftist perspectives.