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History Books » Page 10

History Books

recommended by historians

Last updated: July 03, 2025

    The best books on Legacies of World War One, recommended by Wade Davis

  • Read
    The best books on Legacies of World War One - Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

    1

    Testament of Youth
    by Vera Brittain

  • Read
    The best books on Legacies of World War One - Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence

    2

    Seven Pillars of Wisdom
    by TE Lawrence

  • Read
    The best books on Legacies of World War One - Goodbye To All That by Robert Graves

    3

    Goodbye To All That
    by Robert Graves

  • Read
    The best books on Legacies of World War One - Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

    4

    Three Day Road
    by Joseph Boyden

  • Read
    The best books on Legacies of World War One - The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell

    5

    The Great War and Modern Memory
    by Paul Fussell

  • The explorer and author of Into the Silence, Wade Davis, tells us that the consequences of the Great War were much more than merely political. He says the war had a noticeable impact on exploration, arts and literature, and modernity itself.

  • The best books on Legacies of World War One - Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
  • The best books on Legacies of World War One - Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence
  • The best books on Legacies of World War One - Goodbye To All That by Robert Graves
  • The best books on Legacies of World War One - Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
  • The best books on Legacies of World War One - The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell

The best books on Legacies of World War One, recommended by Wade Davis

The explorer and author of Into the Silence, Wade Davis, tells us that the consequences of the Great War were much more than merely political. He says the war had a noticeable impact on exploration, arts and literature, and modernity itself.

The best books on Legacies of World War One, recommended by Wade Davis

    The best books on Great Letter Writers, recommended by Jonathan Keates

  • Read
    The best books on Great Letter Writers - Selected Letters and Journals by Lord Byron

    1

    Selected Letters and Journals
    by Lord Byron

  • Read
    The best books on Great Letter Writers - To the Happy Few: Letters by Stendhal

    2

    To the Happy Few: Letters
    by Stendhal

  • Read
    The best books on Great Letter Writers - The Letters of Queen Victoria by Queen Victoria

    3

    The Letters of Queen Victoria
    by Queen Victoria

  • Read
    The best books on Great Letter Writers - Henry James: A Life in Letters by Henry James

    4

    Henry James: A Life in Letters
    by Henry James

  • Read
    The best books on Great Letter Writers - Letters of Evelyn Waugh by Evelyn Waugh

    5

    Letters of Evelyn Waugh
    by Evelyn Waugh

  • Queen Victoria was anything but Victorian and Lord Byron was more vulnerable than we think, says writer Jonathan Keates – who considers emails a poor substitute for a hand-written correspondence.

  • The best books on Great Letter Writers - Selected Letters and Journals by Lord Byron
  • The best books on Great Letter Writers - To the Happy Few: Letters by Stendhal
  • The best books on Great Letter Writers - The Letters of Queen Victoria by Queen Victoria
  • The best books on Great Letter Writers - Henry James: A Life in Letters by Henry James
  • The best books on Great Letter Writers - Letters of Evelyn Waugh by Evelyn Waugh

The best books on Great Letter Writers, recommended by Jonathan Keates

Queen Victoria was anything but Victorian and Lord Byron was more vulnerable than we think, says writer Jonathan Keates – who considers emails a poor substitute for a hand-written correspondence.

The best books on Great Letter Writers, recommended by Jonathan Keates

    The best books on London Olympic History, recommended by David Runciman

  • Read
    The best books on London Olympic History - The 1908 Olympics by Keith Baker

    1

    The 1908 Olympics
    by Keith Baker

  • Read
    The best books on London Olympic History - The Condition of England by Charles FG Masterman

    2

    The Condition of England
    by Charles FG Masterman

  • Read
    The best books on London Olympic History - The 1948 Olympics by Bob Phillips

    3

    The 1948 Olympics
    by Bob Phillips

  • Read
    The best books on London Olympic History - Austerity Britain by David Kynaston

    4

    Austerity Britain
    by David Kynaston

  • Read
    The best books on London Olympic History - 1948 by Andy Croft

    5

    1948
    by Andy Croft

  • As the Olympics open, David Runciman looks back at the two previous times that the Games have been staged in London and finds that the thrift of today looks modest compared with austerities of the past

  • The best books on London Olympic History - The 1908 Olympics by Keith Baker
  • The best books on London Olympic History - The Condition of England by Charles FG Masterman
  • The best books on London Olympic History - The 1948 Olympics by Bob Phillips
  • The best books on London Olympic History - Austerity Britain by David Kynaston
  • The best books on London Olympic History - 1948 by Andy Croft

The best books on London Olympic History, recommended by David Runciman

As the Olympics open, David Runciman looks back at the two previous times that the Games have been staged in London and finds that the thrift of today looks modest compared with austerities of the past

The best books on London Olympic History, recommended by David Runciman

    The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque, recommended by Ruth Harris

  • Read
    The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - The Dreyfus Affair: J’accuse and other writings by Emile Zola

    1

    The Dreyfus Affair: J’accuse and other writings
    by Emile Zola

  • Read
    The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - Cyrano de Bergerac by Anthony Burgess (translator) & Edmund Rostand

    2

    Cyrano de Bergerac
    by Anthony Burgess (translator) & Edmund Rostand

  • Read
    The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears

    3

    Stone’s Fall
    by Iain Pears

  • Read
    The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - The Unknown Matisse by Hilary Spurling

    4

    The Unknown Matisse
    by Hilary Spurling

  • Read
    The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - The Guns of August by Barbara W Tuchman

    5

    The Guns of August
    by Barbara W Tuchman

  • The Belle Epoque combined a preoccupation with the noblesse of the old regime with the seeds for modernism, says Oxford history professor Ruth Harris, author of an award-winning book on the Dreyfus affair. She picks the best books on a golden period in France before the outbreak of World War I.

  • The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - The Dreyfus Affair: J’accuse and other writings by Emile Zola
  • The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - Cyrano de Bergerac by Anthony Burgess (translator) & Edmund Rostand
  • The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears
  • The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - The Unknown Matisse by Hilary Spurling
  • The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque - The Guns of August by Barbara W Tuchman

The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque, recommended by Ruth Harris

The Belle Epoque combined a preoccupation with the noblesse of the old regime with the seeds for modernism, says Oxford history professor Ruth Harris, author of an award-winning book on the Dreyfus affair. She picks the best books on a golden period in France before the outbreak of World War I.

The best books on The Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoque, recommended by Ruth Harris

    Key Books in the History of Women Readers, recommended by Belinda Jack

  • Read
    Key Books in the History of Women Readers - The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan

    1

    The Book of the City of Ladies
    by Christine de Pizan

  • Read
    Key Books in the History of Women Readers - The Worth of Women by Moderata Fonte

    2

    The Worth of Women
    by Moderata Fonte

  • Read
    Key Books in the History of Women Readers - The New Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish

    3

    The New Blazing World
    by Margaret Cavendish

  • Read
    Key Books in the History of Women Readers - An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting by Jane Collier

    4

    An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting
    by Jane Collier

  • Read
    Key Books in the History of Women Readers - The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

    5

    The Second Sex
    by Simone de Beauvoir

  • The freedom to pick up a book is something we take almost for granted today but women readers have faced all manner of obstacles throughout history, says Professor Belinda Jack, author of The Woman Reader. She recommends five key texts in the history of women readers.

  • Key Books in the History of Women Readers - The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan
  • Key Books in the History of Women Readers - The Worth of Women by Moderata Fonte
  • Key Books in the History of Women Readers - The New Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish
  • Key Books in the History of Women Readers - An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting by Jane Collier
  • Key Books in the History of Women Readers - The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

Key Books in the History of Women Readers, recommended by Belinda Jack

The freedom to pick up a book is something we take almost for granted today but women readers have faced all manner of obstacles throughout history, says Professor Belinda Jack, author of The Woman Reader. She recommends five key texts in the history of women readers.

Key Books in the History of Women Readers, recommended by Belinda Jack

    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language, recommended by Nicholas Ostler

  • Read
    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Dying Words by Nicholas Evans

    1

    Dying Words
    by Nicholas Evans

  • Read
    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - La Révolution Technologique de la Grammatisation by Sylvain Auroux

    2

    La Révolution Technologique de la Grammatisation
    by Sylvain Auroux

  • Read
    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - The Stories of English by David Crystal

    3

    The Stories of English
    by David Crystal

  • Read
    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Linguistic Diversity by Daniel Nettle

    4

    Linguistic Diversity
    by Daniel Nettle

  • Read
    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Le Ton Beau de Marot by Douglas Hofstadter

    5

    Le Ton Beau de Marot
    by Douglas Hofstadter

  • The scholar of language tells us about the progress of the spoken word from 3000 BC to today, how two languages disappear every month, and the 50,000-word novel written without using the letter “e”

  • The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Dying Words by Nicholas Evans
  • The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - La Révolution Technologique de la Grammatisation by Sylvain Auroux
  • The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - The Stories of English by David Crystal
  • The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Linguistic Diversity by Daniel Nettle
  • The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Le Ton Beau de Marot by Douglas Hofstadter

The best books on The History and Diversity of Language, recommended by Nicholas Ostler

The scholar of language tells us about the progress of the spoken word from 3000 BC to today, how two languages disappear every month, and the 50,000-word novel written without using the letter “e”

The best books on The History and Diversity of Language, recommended by Nicholas Ostler

    The best books on The History of Reading, recommended by Leah Price

  • Read
    The best books on The History of Reading - Reading the Romance by Janice Radway

    1

    Reading the Romance
    by Janice Radway

  • Read
    The best books on The History of Reading - A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel

    2

    A History of Reading
    by Alberto Manguel

  • Read
    The best books on The History of Reading - Too Much To Know by Ann Blair

    3

    Too Much To Know
    by Ann Blair

  • Read
    The best books on The History of Reading - Used Books by William H Sherman

    4

    Used Books
    by William H Sherman

  • Read
    The best books on The History of Reading - The History of Reading in the West by Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chartier (editors)

    5

    The History of Reading in the West
    by Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chartier (editors)

  • We can learn about the past not just through what was written but how it was read. Historian of books Leah Price tells us about reading aloud in Roman times, Gutenberg-era marginalia, and Middle Age solutions to information overload

  • The best books on The History of Reading - Reading the Romance by Janice Radway
  • The best books on The History of Reading - A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel
  • The best books on The History of Reading - Too Much To Know by Ann Blair
  • The best books on The History of Reading - Used Books by William H Sherman
  • The best books on The History of Reading - The History of Reading in the West by Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chartier (editors)

The best books on The History of Reading, recommended by Leah Price

We can learn about the past not just through what was written but how it was read. Historian of books Leah Price tells us about reading aloud in Roman times, Gutenberg-era marginalia, and Middle Age solutions to information overload

The best books on The History of Reading, recommended by Leah Price

    The best books on The Psychology of Nazism, recommended by Daniel Pick

  • Read
    The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - Mass Psychology and Other Writings by Sigmund Freud

    1

    Mass Psychology and Other Writings
    by Sigmund Freud

  • Read
    The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - The Mass Psychology of Fascism by Wilhelm Reich

    2

    The Mass Psychology of Fascism
    by Wilhelm Reich

  • Read
    The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - Love, Hate and Reparation by Melanie Klein and Joan Rivere

    3

    Love, Hate and Reparation
    by Melanie Klein and Joan Rivere

  • Read
    The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - The Nuremberg Interviews by Leon Goldensohn

    4

    The Nuremberg Interviews
    by Leon Goldensohn

  • Read
    The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt

    5

    Eichmann in Jerusalem
    by Hannah Arendt

  • The historian and author of The Pursuit of the Nazi Mind, Daniel Pick, tells us what we can learn from attempts to use psychology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis to understand Nazism.

  • The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - Mass Psychology and Other Writings by Sigmund Freud
  • The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - The Mass Psychology of Fascism by Wilhelm Reich
  • The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - Love, Hate and Reparation by Melanie Klein and Joan Rivere
  • The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - The Nuremberg Interviews by Leon Goldensohn
  • The best books on The Psychology of Nazism - Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt

The best books on The Psychology of Nazism, recommended by Daniel Pick

The historian and author of The Pursuit of the Nazi Mind, Daniel Pick, tells us what we can learn from attempts to use psychology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis to understand Nazism.

The best books on The Psychology of Nazism, recommended by Daniel Pick

    Books About The Great Gatsby, recommended by Sarah Churchwell

  • Read
    Books About The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald by Matthew J. Bruccoli

    1

    F. Scott Fitzgerald
    by Matthew J. Bruccoli

  • Read
    Books About The Great Gatsby - The Far Side of Paradise by Arthur Mizener

    2

    The Far Side of Paradise
    by Arthur Mizener

  • Read
    Books About The Great Gatsby - Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin by Marion Meade

    3

    Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin
    by Marion Meade

  • Read
    Books About The Great Gatsby - The Achieving of The Great Gatsby by Robert Emmet Long

    4

    The Achieving of The Great Gatsby
    by Robert Emmet Long

  • Read
    Books About The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby by Matthew J. Bruccoli

    5

    F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
    by Matthew J. Bruccoli

  • F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, set during a hedonistic zenith before the Great Depression, has fresh appeal today as we face down our own crisis, says American literature professor Sarah Churchwell, author of a biography of The Great Gatsby. She talks us through books to better understand the novel, its author and the era it was set in.

  • Books About The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald by Matthew J. Bruccoli
  • Books About The Great Gatsby - The Far Side of Paradise by Arthur Mizener
  • Books About The Great Gatsby - Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin by Marion Meade
  • Books About The Great Gatsby - The Achieving of The Great Gatsby by Robert Emmet Long
  • Books About The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby by Matthew J. Bruccoli

Books About The Great Gatsby, recommended by Sarah Churchwell

F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, set during a hedonistic zenith before the Great Depression, has fresh appeal today as we face down our own crisis, says American literature professor Sarah Churchwell, author of a biography of The Great Gatsby. She talks us through books to better understand the novel, its author and the era it was set in.

Books About The Great Gatsby, recommended by Sarah Churchwell

    The Best London Books, recommended by Peter Ackroyd

  • Read
    The Best London Books - A Survey of London: Written in the Year 1598 by John Stow

    1

    A Survey of London: Written in the Year 1598
    by John Stow

  • Read
    The Best London Books - Bleak House by Charles Dickens

    2

    Bleak House
    by Charles Dickens

  • Read
    The Best London Books - Prehistoric London: Its Mounds and Circles by EO Gordon

    3

    Prehistoric London: Its Mounds and Circles
    by EO Gordon

  • Read
    The Best London Books - The Diary of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys

    4

    The Diary of Samuel Pepys
    by Samuel Pepys

  • Read
    The Best London Books - London: A Pilgrimage by Blanchard Jerrold and Gustave Doré

    5

    London: A Pilgrimage
    by Blanchard Jerrold and Gustave Doré

  • The historian and biographer of London Peter Ackroyd picks five books that shine a light on parts of this vast, complex and confusing city where, he says, pathos and pantomime meet.

  • The Best London Books - A Survey of London: Written in the Year 1598 by John Stow
  • The Best London Books - Bleak House by Charles Dickens
  • The Best London Books - Prehistoric London: Its Mounds and Circles by EO Gordon
  • The Best London Books - The Diary of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys
  • The Best London Books - London: A Pilgrimage by Blanchard Jerrold and Gustave Doré

The Best London Books, recommended by Peter Ackroyd

The historian and biographer of London Peter Ackroyd picks five books that shine a light on parts of this vast, complex and confusing city where, he says, pathos and pantomime meet.

The Best London Books, recommended by Peter Ackroyd
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