Asserts that increasing numbers of significant historical archives are being opened. Relates the story of historian Patricia Kennedy Grimsted who spent 30 years identifying the existence and history of national archives in the former Soviet Union and Eastern European nations. Maintains that her efforts have helped historians take advantage of…

Presents an interview with Benjamin Ray, a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville), focusing on Ray's work with the Salem Witchcraft Project. Addresses how Ray became interested in the topic and the use of the Internet within the discipline of history. (CMK)

Contends that, when laypeople read history, they prefer to read biographies--stories about leaders and people--rather than about social forces and ideas. Argues that the most effective way of writing biography is to write chronologically, not to use flashbacks or flash forward writing. (CFR)