Books by Richard Bassett
“For anyone wanting to celebrate female leadership in past centuries, she’s one of the most interesting exemplars. Richard Bassett’s biography is very pro-Maria Theresa (the subtitle is ‘the making of the Austrian Enlightenment’) and you find yourself rooting for her against Frederick the Great and other men of the time, including, at times, her own advisers.” Read more...
Notable Nonfiction Books of Early 2025
Sophie Roell, Journalist
Interviews where books by Richard Bassett were recommended
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1
King of Kings: The Fall of the Shah, the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Unmaking of the Modern Middle East
by Scott Anderson -
2
The First King of England: Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom
by David Woodman -
3
The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century
by Tim Weiner -
4
The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World
by Selena Wisnom -
5
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb
by Garrett Graff -
6
The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life
by Sophia Rosenfeld
New History Books
New History Books
It’s a golden age for historical writing, as well-researched and sometimes quite specialist books by historians are written in an engaging style for a broad audience. History books out in recent months range from ancient Assyria to the CIA in the 21st century.
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1
The Greek Revolution and the Violent Birth of Nationalism
by Yanni Kotsonis -
2
Abortion: A History
by Mary Fissell -
3
Maria Theresa: Empress
by Richard Bassett -
4
Stronger: The Untold Story of Muscle in Our Lives
by Michael Joseph Gross -
5
House of Huawei: The Secret History of China's Most Powerful Company
by Eva Dou
Notable Nonfiction Books of Early 2025, recommended by Sophie Roell
Notable Nonfiction Books of Early 2025, recommended by Sophie Roell
As March draws to a close, Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books, looks at some of the nonfiction books that have come out in the first three months of 2025, from the biography of one of the world’s great female leaders to better ways to measure a country’s economy.
