"Moving from general to particular, the author uses three case-studies to depict local patterns of memory... Geary states his thesis with clarity ... [and] throw[s] light into the most elusive recesses of not just 'the past,' but of processes still going on, in and around us, in 1995."--Alexander Murray, The Times Literary Supplement "[A] fascinating, deeply learned, and meticulous study... This thoughtful book ... raises important questions pertinent to all periods."--Virginia Quarterly Review