History textbooks have been a ubiquitous feature of educational practice in schools systems across the world for many centuries. Textbooks, however, do not stand as neutral entities espousing agreed or accepted "historical truths". To the contrary, textbooks appear as powerful cultural artefacts because they contain the ideas, values, and knowledge that influential elements in society expect students to know and embrace. As Apple (1993: 46) rightly acknowledges, "Textbooks are…conceived, designed and authored by real people with real interests" and as a result the selection of textbook knowledge is an intensely political activity often leading to tension, controversy and acrimonious debates in the struggle to define "what knowledge is of most worth". 1 Traditionally history education is regarded as the vehicle through which nations seek to disseminate and reinforce narratives that define conceptions of nationhood and national identity. Contained within history textbooks, therefore, are narratives and stories that nations choose to tell about themselves, their people, and their relationships with other nations. As a consequence, to study and interrogate the content of history textbooks and how they are authored, published, and employed is an illuminating and vitally important educational enterprise. The study of history textbooks is, however, a highly complex and challenging undertaking, particularly in comparative and international perspective. For, as a number of critics have demonstrated, the production, selection, deployment, and status of history textbooks differs considerably in different countries (Hein and Selden 2000; Nicholls, 2006; Pingel 2010; Vickers and Jones 2005). 2 For example, in many nations they are used to "cover" stipulated historical topics, to respond to curriculum needs, and to address the requirements of standardized tests. In other locations they are used more as a support mechanism and as a source of information for teachers, students, and parents. By contrast in some less than typical contexts they are used critically exemplifying one narrative account of a particular historical perspective among many. Understanding the impact of textbook content on student knowledge is further complicated when consideration is given to the possibility