A quick comment: I quite agree with your assessment that (as I would put it) history can be focused at a variety of levels from the microscopic, say TEN DAYS IN LONDON: MAY 1940 by John Lukacs, or from a high-altitude that can take a panoramic view, such as THE PASSING OF THE MODERN AGE & THE LAST EUROPEAN WAR, both by John Lukacs. Indeed, I chose the Lukacs books not only because he's a personal favorite, but because of his ability to write at both “personal” level and at the “trends” level of history. Big history (although no natural history to speak of) and very personal encounters. I think view historians can successfully manage switch-hitting, as it were, but some of the best can.
A quick comment: I quite agree with your assessment that (as I would put it) history can be focused at a variety of levels from the microscopic, say TEN DAYS IN LONDON: MAY 1940 by John Lukacs, or from a high-altitude that can take a panoramic view, such as THE PASSING OF THE MODERN AGE & THE LAST EUROPEAN WAR, both by John Lukacs. Indeed, I chose the Lukacs books not only because he's a personal favorite, but because of his ability to write at both “personal” level and at the “trends” level of history. Big history (although no natural history to speak of) and very personal encounters. I think view historians can successfully manage switch-hitting, as it were, but some of the best can.
Thank you for specific examples including from the same author! That is definitely rare.