“The Timetables of History” by Bernard Grum – An Essential Book – Book Review

If you’re a writer, not just a mystery, but any form of fiction, Bernard Grum’s “The Timetables of History” would be a fabulous addition to the reference section of your library.

Not a writer but LOVE history? This is the book for you. It’s very easy to get lost when flipping through Timetables. This fat tome has life shards starting at -5000 and going up to 1900 which are fascinating. I have the Third Revised Edition, so I’m sure the book has been updated and revised since then. The book is divided into six sections: History/Politics, Literature/Theater, Religion/Philosophy/Learning, Visual Arts, Music, Science/Technology/Growing Up, and Everyday Life.

I’m currently brainstorming ideas for a mystery novel set in 1980s Florida, so I looked up 1985 and discovered that: this was the first time the Titanic was photographed by a remote-controlled camera. Treasure hunters found the underwater wreck of the Atocha, a Spanish galleon that sank off the Florida coast in 1622 with its contents of $400 billion worth of treasure, and that there was an earthquake in Mexico City that killed 7000 people. Now, you may not use any of that information, but you could. In any case, it was a fun read.

Let’s say you’re writing a historical mystery set in 1920. You might want to work on the plot that F. Scott Fitzgerald published “This Side of Paradise” that year. Or maybe Babe Ruth was sold by the Red Socks to the Yankees for $125,000. Did you know that one of the most popular songs of 1934 was “Blue Moon”? You could easily include that in your story.

In 1974, Nelson Rockefeller was nominated by President Ford to be Vice President. Ready, huh? Sprinkling your novel with some hard facts makes your work not only interesting but also more authentic. Your readers will know that you took the time to research the time period you are writing about. I love learning facts while reading fiction and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

You could be writing a romance set in 1191 Japan. You definitely want to know that the tea arrived from China in that year. Or how about this; US copyright laws changed in 1831: 28 years, renewable for 14 years. Of course, you don’t want to just put facts into your text. Looking up what happened in the year or years you are writing about can be a starting point, a place to start doing more defined research. And these facts can generate plot ideas, settings or personality traits for the characters.

The Timetables of History is not a book to sit down and read and you may not use it often, but trust me, it will be an invaluable addition to your reference library.