If you've been fascinated by the unravelling of historical mysteries and would like to discover more, here are some resources to help you take things further.

Open University history courses

Start writing family history (A173)
This short online course offers a guide to the principles of studying history that are a foundation for more advanced historical studies.

Making sense of the arts (Y160)
Making sense of the arts introduces some of the key ideas and ways of thinking involved in studying the arts and humanities.

Heritage, whose heritage? (A180)
This course will help you to identify and understand the key issues affecting heritage decision-making.

An introduction to the humanities (A103)
This course gives a grounding in the eight disciplines in the Arts Faculty: art history, literature, music, philosophy, classical studies, history, religious studies, and history of science.

Exploring history: medieval to modern 1400-1900 (A200)
A varied and wide-ranging introduction to historical study

From Enlightenment to Romanticism c.1780-1830 (A207)
Covers figures as diverse as Mozart, Rousseau, Humphry Davy, Byron, Goethe, Schubert and Delacroix, and topics as varied as Napoleon, religious revival, African exploration and slavery, the Lake District, New Lanark, the Soane Museum and Brighton Pavilion.

Medicine and society in Europe 1500-1930 (A218)
A fascinating introduction to the last five centuries of medical history.

Film and television history (AA310)
Explores the social role and cultural influence of film in the USA, Britain and western Europe.

Art of the twentieth century (AA318)
Designed to acquaint you with the fundamental changes that took place in the concepts and practices of art during the twentieth century

Religion in history: conflict, conversion and co-existence (AA307)
This course expands interests in religious studies and/or history

Cities and technology: from Babylon to Singapore (AT308)
Examines how towns have been influenced by politics, economics, culture and the natural environment

Understanding cities (DD304)
A fresh look at cities as the world attempts to grapple with the problems and possibilities they present.

Total war and social change: Europe 1914-1955 (AA312)
Examines questions about possible relationships between total war and social, cultural and geopolitical change.

Understanding economic behaviour: households, firms and markets (D319)
An economics course with a difference: it concentrates on "households" and "firms" as the building blocks of a market economy.

Social problems, social thought and social action in urban Britain 1870-1914 (A824)
Looks at the nature of social problems in late Victorian and Edwardian urban areas.

Books

Here are some straightforward paperback books about how historians work.
 
What is History? – E.H. Carr, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-013584-7 – a classic study of why studying history is important.

Studying History, Palgrave Study Guides – Jeremy Black and Donal M. MacRaild, ISBN: 0-333-80183-0 – a general introduction to the techniques and debates of the subject.
 
The Nature of History  – Arthur Marwick, Macmillan, ISBN: 0-333-43235-5 – a former Professor of the Open University looks at how history has developed as a subject.
 
The Pursuit of History – John Tosh,  Longman, ISBN: 0-582-02634-2 – helpful advice for anybody interested in research.

Useful weblinks

www.building-history.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

This site, created by a teacher, is a useful starting point for investigating the nuts-and-bolts of building history.

www.british-history.ac.uk/subject.asp?subject=5

Here you will find copies of the Victoria County Histories and old Ordnance Survey Maps. These are vital sources for any in depth investigation of local history.

www.local-history.co.uk/links/historical.html

A collection of useful links for local and urban history is posted on this site.

www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/uk_index.shtml

Use a map to explore the diverse stories of the UK’s past – through architecture, occupations and myths and legends.  

www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail

A collection of online articles and activities, with tips from experts and enthusiasts in fields as diverse as archaeology, family, church and local history.  

www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/your_region

Uncover the history of your region through your local BBC website.