Best History Books (941 books)

Best History Books

Proper history books, not historical fiction, about any period, event, area or topic you like. Just well-written, well-researched, informative and interesting books for historians, history students and history enthusiasts. I didn't mean this to be a list of pop history, but I think it's too late now, so you might as well go ahead.

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1	John Adams by David McCullough 4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 avg rating — 68,985 ratings score: 11,469, and 115 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	1776 by David McCullough 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 51,223 ratings score: 8,844, and 90 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin 4.4 of 5 stars 4.40 avg rating — 32,592 ratings score: 8,461, and 86 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 avg rating — 11,522 ratings score: 8,090, and 83 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 9,593 ratings score: 6,317, and 65 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer 4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 avg rating — 23,487 ratings score: 5,746, and 60 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson 4.36 of 5 stars 4.36 avg rating — 8,349 ratings score: 4,952, and 51 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier by Stephen E. Ambrose 4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 16,703 ratings score: 4,844, and 51 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Truman by David McCullough 4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 avg rating — 18,548 ratings score: 4,320, and 45 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 902,820 ratings score: 4,301, and 45 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 4,871 ratings score: 4,209, and 44 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Histories by Herodotus 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 13,244 ratings score: 3,993, and 41 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present by Howard Zinn 4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 avg rating — 51,286 ratings score: 3,929, and 40 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 25,840 ratings score: 3,529, and 37 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 7,316 ratings score: 3,010, and 31 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 24,526 ratings score: 2,777, and 29 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 161,870 ratings score: 2,763, and 29 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Peter the Great by Robert K. Massie 4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 3,416 ratings score: 2,675, and 28 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 3,400 ratings score: 2,541, and 27 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890-1914 by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 2,513 ratings score: 2,528, and 27 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 16,266 ratings score: 2,428, and 26 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 11,534 ratings score: 2,417, and 25 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 5,649 ratings score: 2,398, and 25 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides 3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 10,841 ratings score: 2,370, and 25 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote 4.6 of 5 stars 4.60 avg rating — 3,028 ratings score: 2,363, and 25 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris 4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 avg rating — 9,755 ratings score: 2,314, and 24 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides 4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 avg rating — 9,640 ratings score: 2,264, and 25 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 12,663 ratings score: 2,034, and 22 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill 3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 13,612 ratings score: 2,031, and 22 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 10,395 ratings score: 2,021, and 22 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 1,840 ratings score: 1,979, and 21 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris 4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 10,463 ratings score: 1,957, and 21 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 3,353 ratings score: 1,865, and 20 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky 3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 avg rating — 16,752 ratings score: 1,828, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand 4.45 of 5 stars 4.45 avg rating — 131,848 ratings score: 1,822, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 93,327 ratings score: 1,804, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 6,497 ratings score: 1,790, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland 4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 avg rating — 3,627 ratings score: 1,780, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942-1943 by Antony Beevor 4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 avg rating — 7,678 ratings score: 1,778, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 7,090 ratings score: 1,774, and 19 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Europe: A History by Norman Davies 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 1,241 ratings score: 1,700, and 18 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Hitler, Vol 1: 1889-1936 Hubris by Ian Kershaw 4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 1,179 ratings score: 1,689, and 18 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser 3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 15,600 ratings score: 1,632, and 17 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough 4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 avg rating — 3,902 ratings score: 1,570, and 18 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 34,868 ratings score: 1,570, and 17 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power by Daniel Yergin 4.36 of 5 stars 4.36 avg rating — 2,335 ratings score: 1,535, and 18 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing 4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 avg rating — 18,463 ratings score: 1,522, and 16 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Doris Kearns Goodwin 4.36 of 5 stars 4.36 avg rating — 7,289 ratings score: 1,488, and 16 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 1,818 ratings score: 1,483, and 16 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Zimmermann Telegram by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 1,028 ratings score: 1,443, and 17 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America by Russell Shorto (Goodreads Author) 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 2,556 ratings score: 1,415, and 15 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Citizen Soldiers: The U S Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose 4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 7,965 ratings score: 1,405, and 15 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder 4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 avg rating — 1,635 ratings score: 1,402, and 15 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 8,662 ratings score: 1,334, and 15 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes 4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 avg rating — 5,645 ratings score: 1,317, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich 3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 2,527 ratings score: 1,317, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 6,226 ratings score: 1,291, and 14 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Fall of Berlin 1945 by Antony Beevor 4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 avg rating — 3,907 ratings score: 1,228, and 13 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Columbine by Dave Cullen (Goodreads Author) 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 20,438 ratings score: 1,209, and 13 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 24,666 ratings score: 1,190, and 13 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne 4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 avg rating — 7,621 ratings score: 1,184, and 13 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 15,015 ratings score: 1,184, and 13 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Volume I by Fernand Braudel 4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 avg rating — 274 ratings score: 1,170, and 13 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman 4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 5,260 ratings score: 1,127, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 81,152 ratings score: 1,113, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene B. Sledge 4.39 of 5 stars 4.39 avg rating — 6,792 ratings score: 1,108, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	King Leopold's Ghost: The Plunder of the Congo & the 20th Century's First Great International Human Rights Movement by Adam Hochschild 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 9,381 ratings score: 1,091, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 1,175 ratings score: 1,053, and 12 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore 4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 avg rating — 1,210 ratings score: 1,050, and 11 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	A People's Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution by Orlando Figes 4.28 of 5 stars 4.28 avg rating — 994 ratings score: 1,027, and 11 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis 3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 6,056 ratings score: 983, and 11 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff (Goodreads Author) 3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 avg rating — 29,959 ratings score: 971, and 11 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Hitler, Vol 2: 1936-1945 Nemesis by Ian Kershaw 4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 avg rating — 1,219 ratings score: 970, and 11 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 3,720 ratings score: 946, and 11 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia by Orlando Figes 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 994 ratings score: 945, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	April 1865: The Month That Saved America by Jay Winik 4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 3,245 ratings score: 945, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Last Lion 2: Winston Spencer Churchill Alone, 1932-40 by William Raymond Manchester 4.52 of 5 stars 4.52 avg rating — 1,849 ratings score: 945, and 11 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry 4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 1,550 ratings score: 925, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade by James Reston Jr. 3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 772 ratings score: 911, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick 4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 19,239 ratings score: 909, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome by Susan Wise Bauer 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 531 ratings score: 900, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West by Tom Holland 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 1,541 ratings score: 892, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	The Gifts Of The Jews (Hinges of History, #2) by Thomas Cahill 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 1,902 ratings score: 887, and 10 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America by David Hackett Fischer 4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 avg rating — 834 ratings score: 869, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Lincoln by David Herbert Donald 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 8,330 ratings score: 839, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	Stilwell and the American Experience in China 1911-45 by Barbara W. Tuchman 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 812 ratings score: 832, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution by Simon Schama 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 1,738 ratings score: 822, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose 4.4 of 5 stars 4.40 avg rating — 27,543 ratings score: 821, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Last Lion 1: Visions of Glory 1874-1932 by William Raymond Manchester 4.51 of 5 stars 4.51 avg rating — 2,039 ratings score: 778, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time by Dava Sobel 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 17,883 ratings score: 772, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick 3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 2,917 ratings score: 771, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	A History of the American People by Paul Johnson 4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 967 ratings score: 755, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 7,281 ratings score: 747, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	Gorbachev-The Rise and Fall of a Hero by I.D. Oppenhiem 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 744, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	The Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus 3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 2,779 ratings score: 734, and 9 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Battle for the Normandy Beaches by Stephen E. Ambrose 4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 avg rating — 9,336 ratings score: 711, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman by William Lee Miller 4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 143 ratings score: 706, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-century Miller by Carlo Ginzburg 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 1,023 ratings score: 686, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 13,731 ratings score: 686, and 8 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History by Robert Darnton 3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 avg rating — 772 ratings score: 676, and 7 people voted	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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941 books · 758 voters · list created January 16th, 2009 by Abi (votes) .

Tags: academic, best, historical, history, non-fiction

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People Who Voted On This List (758)

Abi
362 books
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Susanna
2108 books
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Bettie
8619 books
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Bonnie
3437 books
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Susanne
200 books
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Kris
302 books
2 friends

Fat
725 books
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Susie
817 books
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Comments (showing 1-26 of 26) (26 new)

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message 1: by Abi (last edited Apr 24, 2010 02:41am) (new)

Feb 13, 2009 03:40am

I really wish I could disqualify anything that has the words 'epic story' in the title. Great history books make an argument based on an interpretation of the past; a history book that just tells you a story has a seriously limited value.

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message 2: by Trak (new)

May 14, 2009 09:05pm

I cant seem to add books to the list but could I suggest A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich.

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message 3: by Antoine (new)

Aug 28, 2009 07:34pm

I went ahead and did disqualify a couple of works of fiction. But really, I don't think the "epic story" label should eliminate a work from consideration. You could start with Herodotus and Thucydides whose work is undeniably epic, but also epochal, in that we would have no history without them. Serious history has scholarly obligations, but it has artistic ones as well. If the matter isn't interesting, then ultimately no one is going to care about the footnotes or the argument.

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message 4: by John (new)

Apr 22, 2010 08:53am

Water for Elephants is most emphatically not a work of history.

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message 5: by Susanna (new)

Apr 22, 2010 11:07am

Removed for being fiction:

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant

I am of two minds about The Devils of Loudun, so I left it.

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message 6: by Antoine (new)

Apr 23, 2010 05:36am

The Devils of Loudun is really not a novel, despite Huxley's reputation as a novelist. It is as "literary" as Barbara Tuchman. If you are thinking of the dreadful Ken Russell film based on the book, all I can say is, please don't.

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message 7: by Ted (new)

Apr 16, 2011 04:31pm

Adding "Benedict Arnold's Navy" by James Nelson.

Had it not been for Horatio Gates, who stole Arnold's genius at Saratoga and threw him to the wolves causing Arnold to "turn coat", Benedict Arnold could quite possibly been a greater American Hero than George Washington.

This book is of Benedict Arnolds building of a small fleet in the harbor of Skenesborough (modern day Whitehall, NY) to sail north and interdict the British fleet arriving via the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Richelieu river.

The ensuing "Battle of Valcour Island" is considered to be the very first naval engagement by the American Navy.

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message 8: by Bill (new)

Apr 16, 2011 06:41pm

All of the Edward Rutherfurd books on the list (Sarum, London, Russka, New York) are novels. If you include them, you have to open the field to Michener.

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message 9: by Antoine (new)

Apr 17, 2011 10:34am

I was only able to find Russka. I have deleted it. Cheers.

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message 10: by Susanna (last edited Apr 17, 2011 12:46pm) (new)

Apr 17, 2011 12:43pm

I found the others, on page 3. I'll delete them.

ETA: Also removed "The Great Indian Novel." Because it, too, is a novel.

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message 11: by Alin (new)

Oct 05, 2011 06:43am

Too much american history.You're not the world y'know ?

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message 12: by Susanna (new)

Oct 05, 2011 11:36am

You could, of course, add works about non-American history to the list.

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message 13: by Susanna (new)

Oct 05, 2011 11:40am

Removed: The Killer Angels - a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

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message 14: by Susanna (last edited Nov 02, 2011 10:34am) (new)

Nov 02, 2011 10:13am

Removed for being novels:

Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian
Chesapeake, by James A. Michener

Removed for being poetry:

The Ballad of the White Horse, by G.K. Chesterton

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message 15: by Kate (new)

Mar 08, 2012 05:16pm

Where is the Venerable Bede?

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message 16: by Susanna (new)

Mar 08, 2012 07:47pm

You could add him. It's easy to add books to lists; at the top of the page, at the tab next to "all votes."

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message 17: by Susanna (new)

Mar 08, 2012 08:03pm

David & Russ - any clue as to what book "Unknown Book 9379560" is at No. 147 on this list? You were the ones who voted for it.

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message 18: by Donna (new)

Oct 02, 2012 06:32pm

The Guns of August is a great, great book...but it is HISTORICAL FICTION. It is strong, well-researched historical fiction, but it is fiction This list is supposed to be strictly nonfiction.

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message 19: by Donna (new)

Oct 02, 2012 08:40pm

The list is a little ethnocentric. Just a thought...if you know of a good book that is also the history of women, or Native Americans, or any other underrepresented group, you may want to add it. I added a few, but it could still use some rounding out.

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message 20: by Susanna (new)

Oct 02, 2012 09:24pm

D. wrote: "The Guns of August is a great, great book...but it is HISTORICAL FICTION. It is strong, well-researched historical fiction, but it is fiction This list is supposed to be strictly nonfiction."

It is most certainly not historical fiction. What is your evidence that it is?

It won the Pulitzer for "general nonfiction."

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message 21: by Susanna (last edited Oct 02, 2012 09:49pm) (new)

Oct 02, 2012 09:31pm

Removed, for being novels:

Gates of Fire, by Steven Pressfield
The Pale Criminal, by Philip Carr
Queen Margot, by Alexandre Dumas
A Philosophical Investigation, by Philip Kerr

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message 22: by Donna (new)

Oct 02, 2012 09:56pm

Susanna wrote: "D. wrote: "The Guns of August is a great, great book...but it is HISTORICAL FICTION. It is strong, well-researched historical fiction, but it is fiction This list is supposed to be strictly nonfic..."
Whoops. Let me go back and look at my copy...I taught this book years ago, thought I would remember...going.

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message 23: by Donna (new)

Oct 02, 2012 10:05pm

Okay, mea culpa! I had been thinking it was fiction that appeared real, and if you just review the blurbs on the back of the paperback version, it says something along the lines of her making characters seem like real people. I turned to the Library of Congress page: nothing at all, no listing for fiction or nonfiction. But reading the preface, it was right there on the first page.

I am glad to know that at least I didn't misinform my students! (I also used All Quiet on the Western Front). I required them to read the preface, and mentioned which events they were to watch for, and then we discussed it. I would have been more on the ball back then. Thanks for catching my error...now I will go back and vote for it!

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message 24: by Susanna (new)

Oct 03, 2012 09:56am

Oh, it's a great book. It really does "read like a novel."

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message 25: by Steven (new)

Oct 06, 2012 11:09am

Durant

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message 26: by Donna (new)

Feb 10, 2013 12:29pm

Revisited Feb 10 and asked the system to find duplicates, because I spotted one (Sherman's memoirs). The system found and removed 5 duplicates.

I sympathize with the person who pointed out there is too much American history here. I went back and found some good books I had read (primarily Russian Revolution and Cuba) and added those; I can't reasonably add anything I haven't read, but have added some "want to reads" from the wider world.

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