Good History books

[regoarrarr]

Looking for recommendations on some good history books. I know that Sullla teaches history (or something) so figured he might have some good ones, but figured that the rest of you guys might also have some good thoughts.

I'd say I'm most interested in American / European history (only because that's what I'm most familiar with, but would be open to anything). I could go anywhere from broad overviews to detailed books on specific topics.

The only caveat is that it has to be something I can get from my local public library (which I understand might rule out some things)

http://catalog.cincinnatilibrary.org/ is the link if you really feel like checking that, but if you just want to make reco's that you think probably SHOULD be in the library of a metro area of 1.5 million or so, that would be fine too

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

[novice]

Antony Beevor comes to mind. I'm not much of a history nerd but I enjoyed Berlin: The Downfall.

[Sareln]

I buzzed through "The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression" by Amity Shlaes a few years ago. I found the pacing enjoyable and the information interesting.

[TheHumanHydra]

Are you interested in the First World War? In which case I could recommend you several ...

[regoarrarr]

Are you interested in the First World War? In which case I could recommend you several ...

Sure. I'm up for just about anything, so long as it's a) good and b) available for me to check out from the library

[oledavy]

Personal Recommendations:

Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond

Cliched to suggest I know, but an excellent book. If someone with no knowledge of world history asked me to name a single book to summarize human history, I would suggest this one.


Paris, 1919: Six Months that Changed the World - Margaret MacMillan

Superbly written summary of the Treaty of Versailles, an event that did much to shape the modern world. It's a very long book though, and not for the faint of heart.


Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln - Doris Goodwin

I didn't like Lincoln very much, a little too much of the standard Spielburg formula for my taste. However, the book that it was 'based' on is fascinating and will leave you seeing Lincoln in a completely different light.


War Without Mercy - John Dower

A ground-breaking book that changed conceptions of the Pacific War, and was the first to really address the racial aspect of the conflict. Would recommend watching the HBO series The Pacific after reading it.


The Korean War: A History - Bruce Cummings

Bruce Cummings hates everyone, and it's evident in his writing. However, his remembrance of 'The Forgotten War' in this revisionist history is excellent and will change how you see the American experience in Korea.

[Ilios]

Jared Diamond:

- Guns, Germs and Steel: tries to explain the political and economic dominance of Eurasian societies over those from other parts of the world throughout history
- Collapse: examines a range of past civilizations in an attempt to identify why they either collapsed or succeeded, and considers what contemporary societies can learn from these historical examples

Ian Morris:

- Why the rest rules, for now: compares East and West across the last 15,000 years, arguing that physical geography rather than culture, religion, politics, genetics, or great men explains Western domination of the globe

Niall Ferguson:

- Empire

- War of the Worlds: comprehensive analysis of the savagery of the 20th century (he calls it the 'Age of Hatred')

I also enjoyed The Ascent of Money

Steve Coll:

- Ghost Wars: provides an in-depth account of Central Intelligence Agency activity in Afghanistan from the time of the Soviet Invasion to the aftermath of attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

That should get you started.

[regoarrarr]

Thanks guys for the suggestions so far - keep em coming!

I've actually already read Guns, Germs and Steel and agree that it was a great read

[TheHumanHydra]

Are you interested in the First World War? In which case I could recommend you several ...

Sure. I'm up for just about anything, so long as it's a) good and b) available for me to check out from the library

In that case, the absolute best book I can recommend you read is one of Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson's The Somme and Passchendaele: the Untold Story. I believe these are among the best works of military history one could possibly read, not for their specific subject matter, but for what they say about the nature of war (more than "it's awful"). However, they don't have the grand appeal of some of the sweeping works mentioned here, and they are extremely dry and fairly technical (that does mean they're more likely to be right than the sweeping pieces, not to discount them).

Let's see ... actually, most of the books I could recommend are Canadian military histories, which you may not be interested in. A non-Canadian First World War historian I have found to be both very readable and professional is Peter Hart; he has books on Gallipoli and 1918. I am reading a good Second World War general history right now by Williamson Murray and Allan Millett, A War to be Won. The main thing I would say is that, having done my degree in this stuff, there is a lot of popularist literature of lesser quality on the market, particularly that which exalts the martial virtue of one nation over all others, be it German, the United States, or, believe-it-or-not, Canada; the best work is always done by a fair-minded actual doctor of military history. Unfortunately, this tends to be dry unless you're really into history, but since you're asking for history recommendations, you probably are!

Sorry for the lengthy exposition; I hope it didn't sound too snobbish. Most of all I hope it helps you find an enjoyable and informative read! Have fun!

[Yazilliclick]

I don't read many history books nor am I terribly knowledgeable on the subject but a couple that stood out in past few years were:

Georgia Diary: A Chronicle of War and Political Chaos in the Post-Soviet Caucasus

Got this following the flare up of conflict in that area to try and get a better idea of it.

The Second World War by Antony Beevor

Good accounting of the second world war, the politics and events leading up to it.


And Guns Germs and Steele previously mentioned was quite interesting as well. A bit more of broader stroke world history one whereas the two books above are quite detailed on the respective subjects.