Early Modern History (1400-1800)
Last updated: February 08, 2026
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1
Thomas Cromwell: A Life
by Diarmaid MacCulloch -

2
Milk of Paradise: A History of Opium
by Lucy Inglis -

3
Iran: A Modern History
by Abbas Amanat -

4
Invisible Agents: Women and Espionage in Seventeenth-Century Britain
by Nadine Akkerman -

5
Power, Pleasure, and Profit: Insatiable Appetites from Machiavelli to Madison
by David Wootton
The Best History Books of 2018, recommended by Paul Lay
The Best History Books of 2018, recommended by Paul Lay
From female spies during the English Civil Wars to the enduring distinctiveness of Iran, there is much left to be understood about history globally. Editor of History Today Paul Lay recommends the best history books that hit the shelves in 2018.
The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Sophie Gee
The author of The Scandal of the Season – and Princeton University professor – gives an 18th century literature specialist’s view of the Enlightenment.





















