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Great History Books (covering more than one era)

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"when jesus became god" -- richard rubenstein (about the arian heresy & the adoption of christianity by rome, short & well-written)

"plagues & peoples" -- william mcneil (very well-written, short, book easily understood by the layman that is the first book about the role of disease in history -- far better even though a predecessor than "guns, germs, & steel" which fails, in my view, due to the pc-ness of diamond. plagues & peoples revolutionized the way i thought about history.)

"a history of civilizations" -- fernand braudel (relatively short given its subject. very well-written. w/ "plagues & peoples" ranks up there for transforming how you "see" history.)

"arguing about slavery: the great battle in the united states congress" -- william lee miller (very well-written book about john quincy adams quest to readmit petitions against slavery into republican debate which had the result of turning the north against the south)

"the metaphysical club" -- louis menand (an intellectual history of "pragmatism", difficult subject but well-written -- menand is a staff writer @ the new yorker)

"joan of arc: her story" -- regine peroud (a relatively short history of the maid rendered as it enters the historical record -- so, for example, we learn of jeanne's childhold later in the book b/c that is when it was investigated & written about)

"alexander to actium" -- peter green (long but fun read. great history of that period. his biography of alexander the great is also very good.)

"the civilization of the renaissance in italy" -- jacob burkhardt (a classic & deservedly so. still pertinant a century after it was written. not for someone not familiar w/ the period, however. best to get a version w/ illustrations of the art discussed.)

"the history of government" -- s.e. finer (very long, dry, but worth it. already considered a classic by poli sci folks.)

"extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds" --charles mackay (often recommended to young bankers even though it was originally written in 1841, read it & you'll see why. esp. the tulipomania section.)

"citizens" -- simon schama (very well written, though a tad long, book on the french revolution. considers cultural, intellectual, economic trends as well as the political history.)
 
The Art of War in the Western World by Archer Jones. A fabulous, indepth look at military tactics, strategy, and technology in the West from ancient Greece to the Six Days War.
 
'The Golden Age of Burgundy' by Joseph Calmette - gives an excellent run-down on the careers of the four Great Dukes of Burgundy, as well as the birth of theBurgundian state, Burgundian art, and such. Great read, not at all dry.
 
eh; I use that online library sometimes and it is spotty. It's better to get off the sofa and walk to the library.

A few I've come across:

anything from the Oxford University series (Freedom from Fear, Decades of Controversy, the one about the Dutch Republic, etc.)
From Dawn to Decadence by Barzun
The American Political Tradition by Hofstadter
Modern Times by Johnson
 
Just wanted to mention

I just started a thread for talking about the book Germs, Guns, & Steel over in the OT forum.

Those of you who haven't read it yet, do :)

jay.
 
My two favorite books on American history.

From a left-wing perspective, "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. I read this book many years ago and I don't know anyone who has read it who hasn't enjoyed it, whether they agree with the author or not.

From a right-wing perspective, "A History of the American People" by Paul Johnson. Another great read.

After reading both of these books you get a pretty balanced picture of American history IMO.
 
I'm currently enjoying Europe: A History by Norman Davies. There's a slight intellectual slant that accuses other writers have having little actual knowledge or being too wordy, but the information within is straightforward and precise. Covers the history of Europe from the Ice Age to the end of the Cold War.
 
Originally posted by Rosey Palmer
My two favorite books on American history.

From a left-wing perspective, "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. I read this book many years ago and I don't know anyone who has read it who hasn't enjoyed it, whether they agree with the author or not.

From a right-wing perspective, "A History of the American People" by Paul Johnson. Another great read.

After reading both of these books you get a pretty balanced picture of American history IMO.
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I couldn't agree more, both on the titles and the conclusion. Wow... i really think its been almost two years since i've posted on these boards.


I might inquire into some decent books on the Ottoman Empire. Its kind of amazing, but precious little work has been done on this topic from a Western perspective, and from what I hear it is a fertile area of study for anyone seeking to teach post secondary. More openings than Ph D.s doens't happen too often....
 
I recommend "A Concise Economic History of the World, From Paleolithic Times to the Present" by Cameron Rondo. Population, resources, technology and institutions are the keywords. It almost sounds a handbook for Victoria.:D
 
The Library of America has an excellent series of two-volume sets that are compilations of journalistic reportage and contemporary articles, ordered so that they make a comprehensive retelling of a particular event from a number of perspectives. It's a nice way to read history, as opposed to a work from a single author with a single point of view, and it offers a wonderful sense of immediacy that's hard to get elsewhere. I've read Reporting Civil Rights and I'm currently reading Reporting World War II; they also have Reporting Vietnam, The Debate on the Constitution, and Writings from the War of Independence (which is only one volume, but should have been two).
 
Kenneth Pomeranz: The Great Divergence, China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy

I have yet to read it but it is an economic analysis of why Europe surged ahead of East Asia, despite the latter's dominance for most of the first millennium.

I think this falls into the "geopolitical" and preordained line of analysis, that geography and allocation of natural resources had a lot with the rise of Europe. As late as 1750 he claims that Europe and China were very similar, but the location of coal, and the European colonial empires played a huge role in the Industrial Revolution (which could have happened in China at the dawn of the second millennium, but didnt).

Other authors focus more on human (mis)administration and its effects on economic growth and industrial revolutions. One that looks at the damaging effects of Confucianism on China is:

Mary Wright: The Last Stand of Chinese Conservatism

This documents the pathetic attempt of a "Meiji restoration" style modernisation program in China in the mid 19th century.

Robert Asprey: The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte

Two volume biography, primarily focuses on military campaigns, very readable.

Sir Basil Liddell Hart: History of the First World War
AND
Sir Basil Liddell Hart: History of the Second World War

Titles say it all. The man was an armoured columns proponent, similar to De Gaulle and Guderian. Focuses almost exclusively on the military aspects of the conflicts only, since most of the economic-sociological data only became available to later generations of historians.
 
Some of my favorites:

The Pursuit of Power, by William H. McNeill
An excellent book covering the relationship between economies and military power.

The Thirty-Years War, by C.V. Wedgewood (sadly, out of print)
One of the best (and only) books on the subject in English, with a very definite, skillful narrative style and flare for description.

Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire, by Jason Goodwin
Once again, a book with a strong narrative element that really captures the 'feel' of the Ottoman world, and portrays them as something far more complex than is typical of most English literature about the Ottomans.

Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Coming of the Modern Age, by Modris Eksteins.
A very well-done study of the culture and society of Europe before, during and after the Great War. Very good (won a Trillium Book Award).
 
couldn't agree more about pursuit of power ... excellent book. basically anything by mcneill is worth perusing at the least.
 
I can't beleive no one has mentioned anything by Niall Ferguson (Pity of War, Empire (quick but interesting read), Virtual History (edited by Ferguson)).

Wealth and Democracy: Good political/historical look at wealth in America
Lexus and the Olive Tree anyone? (more socialogical rather than historical).
 
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