Aron Iakovlevich Gurevich, Istoriia Istorika [the History of a Historian] (Book Review‪)‬

Aron Iakovlevich Gurevich, Istoriia istorika [The History of a Historian]. 288 pp. Moscow: ROSSPEN, 2004. ISBN 5824305390. The author of this book, Aron Iakovlevich Gurevich, passed away on 5 August 2006 at the age of 82. At the time of his death his name was known to all medievalists. In today's Russia, his works, which opened up new perspectives in the study of the Western Middle Ages, are well known to philologists, art historians, psychologists, sociologists, and philosophers. Without exaggeration, it can be said that these works reared at least two generations of Russian humanities scholars. Gurevich's eminence extends far beyond his homeland: his books have been translated into all European (and several non-European) languages, and his contributions to the study of history have been noted by way of numerous international honorary titles and awards. Unquestionably, the recollections of this outstanding scholar, a witness and a participant in the historiographical (and historical) process for more than 50 years, cannot but attract special interest.