A good history text can give a thorough, comprehensive, chronological look at the major issues and developments of a region. Oral histories, on the other hand, give a lot of colour, personality and life to the history.
Oral histories capture the times and events through the eyes of the participants.
In a way, a newspaper is an ongoing record of the oral history of a community. It records events through the eyes of reporters, and citizens, in such a way that it reflects the atmosphere of the time. This book is more of an oral history than a history text. There is no pretense at presenting a comprehensive history. Any chronology in the items is coincidental.