A must read for both those new to the archives and seasoned researchers. What a boon to our discipline (as well as a joy!) to have these rich, provocative, and ground-breaking essays placed in conversation with one another. Lisa Mastrangelo, Associate Professor, Centenary College of New JerseyAn invaluable sourcebook that belongs on every researcher’s desk, traces the history of archival research in rhetorical studies, and illustrates the major shifts that have taken place over the last three decades. The collection contains the important "Octalog" panels on the politics of historiography that mark each decade, highlighting how conversations and key players have shifted over time. This book will serve as a key text for graduate seminars and points toward the future of archival research with the emergence of digital archives and new ways of curating, collecting, and representing our rich rhetorical heritage. Gesa Kirsch, Bentley University, co-editor of Beyond the Archives: Research as a Lived ExperienceA history, a heuristic, and a how-to, this collection outlines a chronology and a set of useful perspectives and methodologies for new, working and seasoned scholars who use archival material for writing studies research. Liz Rohan, Associate Professor of Composition and Rhetoric, University of Michigan-DearbornIn this impressive volume of essential readings, newcomers to the field will find a comprehensive, accessible orientation to archival research methods and the perspectives on historiography that inform scholars’ use of those methods. At the same time, seasoned researchers will benefit from the book’s wide-ranging retrospective of approaches to archival work and the robust understanding of current issues in archival research that results. Wendy Sharer, Professor of English, East Carolina University