Historical Reconstruction

This is not a proper work of “HISTORY”. This is a RECONSTRUCTION.

Historians rarely conclude anything for certain. They qualify, they apologize, and they hypothesize. Any time they say anything they feel is certain, even then, they still find ways to hedge their statements.

Now, that’s just good scholarly procedure. It is necessary, beneficial and productive. Cautious, painstaking work eventually produces solid results worth accepting. But Historians are always willing to question things again; as they should. That’s part of their role.

To be “HISTORY”, a work must be analytical and critical. This work is neither.

This work, properly labeled, is a RECONSTRUCTION. These Year Books are going to state many things that are probably true, or most likely true, or almost certainly true. But in this work, the statement will simply be stated as true. This is also good scholarly procedure, for a RECONSTRUCTION. (The reader should simply keep this in mind, and critically minded readers should follow the footnotes.)

The process of HISTORY is painstaking. But the goal should be RECONSTRUCTION.

In many ways, I have merely synthesized the best work of recent scholarship. It has been my own peculiar blessing and a privilege to do so. I believe I have done it well – I hope I have done it well enough. Perhaps time will tell.

With all this in mind, then, I hereby dedicate this work to the true historians, with grateful regard for the scholars of the past, and with hopeful wishes towards scholars yet to be born.

To the scholars who have come before, who weighed tentative conclusions at the necessary expense of bolder ambitions... and to the scholars of the future, who may yet discover with near certainty just how much of what we know is becoming very clear...

To all past scholars, because of whose efforts this work could exist, and to all future scholars, whose efforts will determine in what form this reconstruction survives...

I salute you, and I thank you.

May it someday prove true that none of us has labored in vain.