World War I

1

The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914
by Barbara W. Tuchman

It is impossible to answer why Europe decided to fight this war if you don't understand first the kind of societies that conformed Europe back then. This is the very best book for that.

2

Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War
by Robert K. Massie

Historians are still debating what caused World War 1. While they will still be debating this a hundred years from now everyone agrees that the naval race between Germany and the UK was one of the principal causes. This is an excellent overview of that naval race.

3

The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of Wor
by Barbara W. Tuchman

Barbara Tuchman again. This is the classic account of the first weeks of the war. It focuses on the western front and the opening of the war between Germany and Russia. It reads like a thriller.

4

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
by Peter Frankopan

The title says it all. This book is a history about the Silk Road. It is epic in timescale. But it also deals with the rivalry between Russia and the UK, which also had a huge impact on European politics back then.

5

The Fall of the Dynasties: The Collapse of the Old Order: 1905-1922
by Edmond Taylor

The central powers lost the war (and so did Russia). This brought the end of several ruling dynasties. This book is the best one I read on the subject.