Valerie S. Thaler is an independent scholar in Baltimore County, Maryland. She earned a PhD in Jewish History from Yale University and taught History at Baltimore Hebrew University and Towson University.

"Thorough and thoughtful, Solving the Puzzle offers a practical and comprehensive guide for any student assigned to write a college-level history paper. In framing a historical question as a puzzle and clearly laying out the steps involved in crafting a solution--including how to critically evaluate and interpret their sources--this book not only will appeal to students' innate sense of curiosity but will also help them to develop the critical thinking skills so necessary in enabling them to successfully navigate an increasingly complex and often deeply divided world." -- Andrea Geiger, Simon Fraser University

"Solving the Puzzle is comprehensive without overwhelming the reader. It shows awareness of the issues confronting current historians and addresses fundamentals such as understanding history writing as a process, sifting through the overabundance of information, raising the level of narrative above automative wording, and appreciating the qualitative difference between historian and journalist. The text will train aspiring undergraduates in the craft of historical writing and will serve as a reference work for professional historians as they develop in their careers." -- Nathan Howard, University of Tennessee at Martin

"Solving the Puzzle is a thoughtful and accessible work that will help our discipline's newcomers harness the historical imagination. With clarity, grace, and humor, Valerie Thaler walks readers through how to take on the seemingly insurmountable challenge of developing an original and manageable research project that meets the conventions of historical practice. As a guide that aims to demystify the research process, Solving the Puzzle will inspire confidence in a new generation of historians." -- Stephan Pigeon, St. Francis Xavier University