The article analyzes the changes in orientation, thought and methodology of the Western historiography in the recent 20 years. One of the changes is the emergence and development of the microhistory. Then the article expounds the main characteristics, achievements and limitation of the microhistory. The main representatives of microhistory, such as Carlo Ginzberg, Carlo Poni, Giovanni Levi, Edoardo Grendi, Robert Darnton et al are shown in the article. The article also introduces the representative works of microhistory, such as " The Cheese and the Worms: the Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller " ( Cartlo Ginzberg ), " The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French History " ( Robert Darnton ), " Inheriting Power: The Story of an Exorcist " ( Giovanni Levi ), " Le Retiur de Martin Guerre " ( Natalie Zeman Davis ), etc.
