Carl Degler:"Any serious reader of European or American history would find this compelling book insightful as well as informative as it explains the broad evolution of seven of the leading American university departments of history. The author, a professor of history himself (not one of the seven) examines critically and thoughtfully yet informally the several changes in historical interpretations in the course of forty years. A number of the historians are quoted directly, though not always friendly to a department's ascent or descent. Of course, for any historian, Palmer's study offers a readable, even amusing and rare overview which can recapitulate his or professional past, as I certainly did."