The first edition of the work written by Ernst Bernheim was published in 1889. It was the first methodological textbook in historical science on the market and remained influential in the discipline for a long time. The work is divided into six chapters. Initially, Bernheim examines the concept and nature of historical science as well as its relationship to other disciplines. The most extensive part of the book focuses on methodology, source studies, and source criticism. It also addresses the historical auxiliary sciences and the interpretation of sources. Bernheim dedicates a separate chapter to the presentation of historical facts in words and writing. The book originates from a time when the so-called "methods dispute" between Karl Lamprecht and his opponents was raging in historical science. Bernheim also comments on this in the present edition from 1906.