Found this a fun read and definitely something I can see assigning to someone earlier in their career than me, definitely for undergrads or early grad students more than phds, but that’s fine. It’s a useful tool and a fun read even if you aren’t a scholar

Libro complesso, anche per la mancata revisione finale da parte dell’autore.
Lo rileggerò con calma per
Approfondire ogni passaggio.
Alcune frasi offrono delle definizioni lapidarie dell’essenza della storia, dell’oggetto dello studio di tale disciplina e del lavoro dello storico.

Tarih Savunusu, beklediğimden daha yorucu bir metinmiş. Tarihyazımı için temel yapıtlardan biri olduğu ve çoktan okumuş olmam gerektiği için okudum. Daha keyifli ve daha verimli bir yapıt bekliyordum, yöntembilim derslerinde bize öğretilenlerin kaynaklarından birini okumuş bulundum. Bazı noktalarda Bloch'un yaklaşımını okumaktan keyif alsam ve 'hah!' dediğim bir-iki yer olsa da Bloch'un yaşamı ve ölümü beni bu kitabın içeriğinden daha çok çekti.

I enjoyed this; obviously it's a partial work, given that Bloch's career and life were tragically cut short by the Nazis. There are some absolutely brilliant passages, but other times much of the discussion was a little obscure to me. A few of Bloch's themes include the inevitability of interpretation in historical analysis, the need to balance critiquing and trusting sources, how to distinguish broader conditions from direct causes, the concrete and non-theoretical nature of history, the rule of thumb that it's better to use the language of the time where possible, opposition to moralism, and the all-consuming importance of context.

In lieu of a longer review, I'm going to post some quotes from the book I really liked:

“The historian does not think of the human in the abstract. His thoughts breathe freely the air of the climate of time.”

Bloch, 27.

“Misunderstanding o the present is the inevitable consequence of ignorance of the past.”

Bloch, 43.

“For a great many scholars, the lower margin of the page exerts a fascination bordering upon mania.”

Bloch, 87.

“Are we so sure of ourselves and of our age as to divide the company of our forefathers into the just and the damned?”

Bloch, 140.

“Hollow indictments are followed by vain rehabilitations. Robespierrists? Anti-Robespierrists! For pity’s sake, simply tell us what Robespierre was.”

Bloch, 140.

“Unfortunately the habit of passing judgments leads to a loss of taste for explanations. When the passions of the past blend with the prejudices of the present, human reality is reduced to a picture in black and white.”

Bloch, 140.

“To plumb the consciousness of another person, separated from us by the interval of generations, we must virtually lay aside our own ego…how much easier it is to write for or against Luther than to fathom his soul.”

Bloch, 141.

“Men gave names to their actions, their beliefs, and the various aspects of their social life without waiting until they became objects of disinterested research. Hence, history receives its vocabulary, for the most part, from the very subject-matter of its study.”

Bloch, 158.

“Is not man himself the greatest variable in nature?”

Bloch, 197.