Elizabeth Shown Mills' stunning book, Evidence!, provides the family history researcher with a reliable standard for both the correct form of source citation and the sound analysis of evidence. In successful genealogical research, these two practices are inseparable, and the author's treatment of this little-understood concept is nothing short of brilliant.
This dual-track theme is introduced early on, and is best summed up in a few choice paragraphs from the introduction: "Successful research--research that yields correct information with a minimum of wasted time and funds--depends upon a sound analysis of evidence. Source citation is fundamental, but it is not enough. The validity of any piece of evidence cannot be analyzed if its source is unknown.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
"Not just every genealogist, but every historian as well, should own a copy. Evidence! is filled with useful information that is difficult to find elsewhere."
--Grady McWhiney, Ph.D. Lyndon Baines Johnson Professor Emeritus, Texas Christian University.
"Evidence! provides librarians, archivists and others a manual to hand genealogists as a solid guide, to make research easier for themselves and future readers."
--Eric G. Grundset, M.L.S. Director, Daughters of the American Revolution Library; Vice President, National Genealogical Society
"Evidence! is for all of us--the novice, the experienced family historian, and those who come into genealogy from other academic environments. The wide-ranging citation formats cover not only traditional sources but the latest technological ones."
--Cameron Allen, J.D. Professor Emeritus of Law, Rutgers University; President, American Society of Genealogists
"In this book, one of America's foremost genealogical scholars has taken on a Herculean task and accomplished it superbly...Elizabeth Mills has provided the best single source for genealogical documentation and a seminal discussion of genealogical analysis. This is a book that every genealogist should be required to own."
--THE AMERICAN GENEALOGIST, Vol. 73, No. 3 (July 1998), p. 233.
"Evidence!...earns high marks for both cogency of argument and felicity of expression."
--THE PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINE, Vol. 40, No. 3 (Spring/Summer 1998), p. 266.
"The importance of [Mills'] book to every genealogist cannot be understated...we can heartily recommend this book. Every genealogist should own a copy."
--THE NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, Vol. 129, No. 1 (January 1998), p. 53.
See also the companion to this classic manual, the QuickSheet: Citing Online Historical Sources.
ALSO BY ELIZABETH SHOWN MILLS
Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians