Editors' Top Picks

Listopia > Microhistory Book Lists

Stiff by Mary RoachThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootSalt by Mark KurlanskyEats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne TrussThe Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
You Read a Book about What?
4,099 books — 2,280 voters
Stiff by Mary RoachSalt by Mark KurlanskyThe Professor and the Madman by Simon WinchesterThe Ghost Map by Steven JohnsonLongitude by Dava Sobel
Microhistory: Social Histories of Just One Thing
1,836 books — 2,230 voters

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony BourdainThe Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael PollanAnimal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara KingsolverFast Food Nation by Eric SchlosserIn Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Food-Related Non-Fiction
1,236 books — 1,642 voters
Salt by Mark KurlanskyAt Home by Bill BrysonGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared DiamondA Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill BrysonThe Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
Histories of the Everyday
372 books — 341 voters

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootStiff by Mary RoachA Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill BrysonThe Disappearing Spoon by Sam KeanThe Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum
Modern Science Nonfiction
455 books — 309 voters
Don't Forget to Dance by Marc AlderdiceThe Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth KolbertSilent Spring by Rachel CarsonGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared DiamondA Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
The Natural World: Natural Science and Natural History for Adults
792 books — 299 voters

H is for Hawk by Helen MacdonaldThe Genius of Birds by Jennifer AckermanWesley the Owl by Stacey O'BrienThe Wild Birds by Emily StrelowSilent Spring by Rachel Carson
Books for Bird Lovers
534 books — 213 voters
The Botany of Desire by Michael PollanThe Hidden Life of Trees by Peter WohllebenBraiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall KimmererLab Girl by Hope JahrenGathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Nonfiction Books about Plants
436 books — 146 voters

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara KingsolverThe Jungle Books by Rudyard KiplingGorillas in the Mist by Dian FosseyOut of Africa by Isak DinesenHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Rainforests and Jungles of the World
392 books — 115 voters
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootStiff by Mary RoachThe Great Influenza by John M. BarryThe Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha MukherjeeThe Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
Medical Microhistories
97 books — 91 voters

Joy & Sorrow by Peter Sean DalyThe Soul of an Octopus by Sy MontgomeryThe Horse by Wendy WilliamsInside of a Dog by Alexandra HorowitzHow to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog) by Lee Alan Dugatkin
Animal Science for Adults
273 books — 90 voters
Monopoly X by Philip E. OrbanesStiff by Mary RoachThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootThe Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah BlumThe Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
Niche Non-Fiction
317 books — 58 voters

Blood River by Tim ButcherChasing the Devil by Tim ButcherThe Trigger by Tim ButcherThe Assassination of the Archduke by Greg KingThe Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Microhistories: Microscopic Studies of Individual Events, People and Places
73 books — 57 voters
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve BrusatteI'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamaraFascism by Madeleine K. AlbrightEnlightenment Now by Steven PinkerChildren of Nazis by Tania Crasnianski
Historical Nonfiction 2018
222 books — 56 voters

Salt by Mark KurlanskyCod by Mark KurlanskyThe Botany of Desire by Michael PollanAn Edible History of Humanity by Tom StandageFour Fish by Paul Greenberg
Food & Drink Histories (nonfiction)
195 books — 43 voters
1421 by Gavin Menzies1434 by Gavin MenziesThe Devil in the White City by Erik LarsonThe Holy Bible by AnonymousMein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
Worst historical non-fiction
40 books — 41 voters

The Edge of the Sea by Rachel CarsonThe Soul of an Octopus by Sy MontgomeryLongitude by Dava SobelPoseidon's Steed The Story of Seahorses, from Myth to Reality by Helen ScalesSpirals in Time by Helen Scales
Natural History of the Seashore for Adults
163 books — 36 voters
The Removable Root Cause of Cancers and other Chronic Diseases by Paul OlaThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootSay Nothing by Patrick Radden KeefeThe Library Book by Susan OrleanWhy We Sleep by Matthew Walker
Fascinating Non-Fiction
137 books — 28 voters

Upstairs at the White House by J.B. WestThe Residence by Kate Andersen BrowerSpeaking for Myself by Sarah Huckabee SandersAll the Presidents' Pastries by Roland MesnierInside the White House by Ronald Kessler
The Executive Mansion: Life and Work Inside the White House (nonfiction)
91 books — 25 voters
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee BrownThe Ascent of Money by Niall FergusonEmpires of the Sea by Roger CrowleyA People's History of the World by Chris HarmanThe Bitter Road to Freedom by William I. Hitchcock
The Independent's "The Ten Best History Books"
10 books — 24 voters

Bourbon by Fred MinnickBourbon Empire by Reid MitenbulerDrink by Iain GatelyLast Call by Daniel OkrentA History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
All Liquored Up - The History of Alcohol and Drinking (nonfiction)
145 books — 21 voters
The Frozen River by Ariel LawhonBurial Rites by Hannah KentAlias Grace by Margaret AtwoodThe Island of Sea Women by Lisa SeeHamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Micro-Historical Fiction
133 books — 17 voters

Body of Work by Christine MontrossMeditation Time by Laurent GrenierBreaking the Chain by Stacie WebbThe Curious History of the Heart by Vincent M. FigueredoThe Secret Life of a Weight-Obsessed Woman by Iris Ruth Pastor
Underappreciated Nonfiction
30 books — 7 voters
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane AckermanGod Is Not Great by Christopher HitchensThe Secret Life of a Weight-Obsessed Woman by Iris Ruth PastorConnecting the Dots by Lia RussA Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman
Best of Diane Ackerman
26 books — 4 voters

Buses Are a Comin' by Charles PersonCaste by Isabel WilkersonFour Hundred Souls by Ibram X. KendiOlympic Pride, American Prejudice by Deborah Riley DraperThe Three Mothers by Anna Malaika Tubbs
History by African-Americans Published in Decade: 2020s
31 books — 3 voters
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules VerneAround the World in 80 Days by Michael PalinAround the World in 80 Trains by Monisha RajeshEighty Days by Matthew GoodmanSnoopy Around the World by Charles M. Schulz
Books Titled "Around The World..."
25 books — 3 voters

The Black Panther Party by David F. WalkerWake by Rebecca HallRun by John LewisRobert Smalls by Joel Christian GillAcross the Tracks by Alverne Ball
Adult Nonfiction Graphic Novels by African-Americans Published in the Decade: 2020s
5 books — 2 voters
Caste by Isabel WilkersonOverground Railroad by Candacy A. TaylorVanguard by Martha S. JonesDriving While Black by Gretchen SorinBlack Diamond Queens by Maureen Mahon
History by African-Americans Published in Year: 2020
17 books — 1 voter

The Life of Frederick Douglass by David F. WalkerMarch by John LewisMarch by John LewisGraphic Classics, Volume 22 by Lance TooksStrange Fruit, Volume I by Joel Christian Gill
Adult Nonfiction Graphic Novels by African-Americans Published in the Decade: 2010s
8 books — 1 voter
Rats by Robert SullivanCat Tales by Jerry D. MooreThe Ubiquitous Pig - 1992 publication by Marlyn NssnsonFuzz by Mary RoachThe Lost German Slave Girl by John Bailey
Book Riot #ReadHarder 2026 Task #1
5 books — 1 voter

« previous 1

Browse By Tag