Oral history is a very powerful historical tool. It allows insights into the lives and attitudes of ordinary and not so ordinary people that no amount of dry documentary evidence could give. Through recorded, guided interview it is possible to build a base of primary history quite invaluable for the proper understanding of social and local history. The author provides a wide-ranging practical introduction for amateurs and professionals which explains oral history recording and all its uses. There are detailed practical sections on planning and conducting interviews, storage, cataloguing and retrieval, and the applications of oral history, as well as several case studies.