BOSS by Mike Royko (216 according to goodreads)
\-Book about Richard Daley who was the LONGTIME mayor of Chicago (not his son who was the Mayor for EVEN LONGER) and all the shenanigans around a corrupt and morally bankrupt city administration in the mid 1900's
Not in depth, but it has a chapter or so on the late 19th & early 20th century Chicago which includes the race riots and how Daley was a involved in a "sporting club" or something that was heavily involved. I think there just might not be much archival evidence that PROVES he was involved, but circumstancily... (also REALLY REALLY good stuff on the 1968 convention)
EDIT: The best descriptor for this book is imagine The Power Broker (REAALLLLLY long Pulitzer Prize winner book about Robert Moses in NYC) but subtract 1000 pages.
The Very Short Introductions series by Oxford University Press. They have amassed an incredible amount of titles and their history section has grown very well. The titles are all between 100-200 pages, usually more to the lower end of that. I personally love to shove in a book of that series before I tackle any larger project and them being so short and often very well written they are great to get tastes about topics you never thought you might be interested in.
I have not read a lot of their history section thus far, having mostly stuck to their religion section but the book Prehistory and The Maya were great.
Looking for books on Ottoman history? Check out my list below!
*The Last Muslim Conquest: The Ottoman Empire and Its Wars in Europe* by Gàbor Àgoston. The latter provides an in depth and rich look at the Ottoman Empire's socio-economic and military history from the Empire's rise to the Siege of Vienna and beyond. Why I really loved this book was the author's tying in of pertinent events within the Ottoman Empire to those on Europe, such as the rise of the Hapsburgs. Àgoston also does a great job examining key details within the Empire, such as frontier management, intelligence, diplomacy and military structure!
David Fromkin's *A Peace to End All Peace," is another fantastic book that covers the fall of the Ottoman Empire, specifocally focusing on the aftermath of the First World War and the problematic role France and England played in dividing up the lands formerly under the Ottomans.
Alan Mikhail's *God's Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World* looks at the Ottoman Empire's peak of military and economic dominance in the 16th century through a thorough, interesting account of Sultan Selim the Grim's life.
Lastly, Caroline Finkel's *Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire* also offers a comprehensive overview of the Ottoman Empire's socio-cultural, political and military history.
I'm reading a book about the Thirty Years' War, I guess because I liked to be depressed.
Martinic and Slavata *just* got tossed out the window after 127 pages of explaining the context.
Peter Wilson's?
It's a good book but a hell of a lot of detail. I can see why the war isn't really remembered today (in the Anglosphere at least), shit was complicated
There's only one book on general Bavarian history in English that was written in 1906. I don't think there are any others in existence besides your niche topics like Ludwig II or Merovingian Bavaria. My only other idea is to email an author who wrote a Bavarian history book and ask them if they ever translated it from German to English.
If any of you guys could find a Bavarian history book in English, that'd be super impressive.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - Bill walks the Appalachian Trail with his friend, fat Katz. In my opinion, a classic that isn't funny ain't a classic. And this is very, very funny. The trail winds along, the woods are full of beauty and various dangers, and Bill rebuffs people's zeal for their latest backpacking gear with terse, roaring funny observations. But there's a note of sorrow, too. Americans have gotten so they don't walk anywhere - they'll jump in the car to go 100 yards. Some of them were shocked to learn that Bill and Katz had walked all the way there (carrying those heavy-looking backpacks) from the parking lot, and frankly didn't believe the correction that they'd actually walked all the way from Georgia.
*The Last Five Hours of Austria*, by Eugene Lennhoff.
An account of the Nazi occupation of Austria by a reporter who was there on the ground when it happened. Fascinating read.
It's basically set before and during the trojan war. It is fiction but it fits with the works based around then like the Iliad and is based upon the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus
Be aware that Ferguson has a reputation of a bit of an imperial apologist. He’s fine to read, but it’s worth keeping that in mind while you read (and maybe seeking out opposing views, just to get a fuller understanding).
Right now I am taking a class on contemporary Asian politics and we are in the India section right now. For it, we read: (Not necessarily history, but could still be worth it)
"Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy" by Christophe Jaffrelot (trans. by Cynthia Schoch). It is a pretty dense book regarding the current PM of India, Modi. It touches a little on Kashmir in a few of the chapters.
"The End of Karma: Hope and Fury Among India's Young" by Somini Sengupta. This one is less academic than Modi's India, it is much more journalistic but in contrast, it is much easier to read. This one is more about personal stories from India's more downtrodden citizens, but I have not finished it yet so I cannot say if it has anything on Kashmir.
(Not reading for class, but could still be good)
"A Concise History of India" by Barbara Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf has a lot of mentions of the Kashmir issue towards the end of the book, particularly the last 2-3 chapters.
"The Loss of Hindustan: The Invention of India" by Manan Ahmed Asif also talks about Kashmir a good few times.
There are a few I can reccomend:
[China's Civil War: A Social History, 1945–1949](https://www.amazon.com/Chinas-Civil-War-1945-1949-Approaches/dp/1107678269/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=chinese+civil+war&qid=1634771813&sr=8-4) by Diana Lary
[The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957](https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Liberation-History-Revolution-1945-1957/dp/1408886359/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=chinese+civil+war&qid=1634771813&sr=8-12) by Frank Dikötter
[Making China Modern: From the Great Qing to Xi Jinping](https://www.amazon.com/Making-China-Modern-Great-Jinping/dp/0674248317/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Making+China+Modern%3A+From+the+Great+Qing+to+Xi+Jinping&qid=1634772208&sr=8-1) by Klaus Mühlhahn (covers a lot of history, but you can just read select chapters if you want).
[The Chinese Communist Party: A Century in Ten Lives](https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Communist-Party-Century-Lives/dp/1108822614/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Chinese+Communist+Party%3A+A+Century+in+Ten+Lives&qid=1634772228&sr=8-1) edited by Timothy Cheek, Klaus Mühlhahn, and Hans van de Ven
[A Social History of Maoist China Conflict and Change, 1949–1976](https://www.amazon.com/Social-History-Maoist-China-Approaches/dp/1107565502/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=A+Social+History+of+Maoist+China+Conflict+and+Change%2C+1949%E2%80%931976&qid=1634772247&sr=8-1) by Timothy Cheek
Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone details the 2011 tsunami and its aftermath, written by an award winning correspondent who lived there during and for six years after. It’s written with great insight, empathy, and understanding of how natural disasters change our landscape far more than physically.
Well, there's The Rising Sun by John Toland. He spent time in Japan and his wife was Japanese, so besides researching it deeply he had some personal insight. My favorite part was at the end of the war when the Emperor was trying to surrender and the hawks were even trying to abduct him to prevent it. He had a speech prepared, it had to be written in calligraphy on a scroll for him to read; at the last minute an error was discovered in the text and there was a debate whether it had to be all rewritten or just a small correction written in. It was unthinkable that he would speak directly to the common people on the radio so they made a record of his voice and played it. There were adventures getting the record delivered to the radio station. And all the while the clock is ticking, who knew if the Americans would drop a 3rd bomb and where?
For just general modern Japanese history the two most popular (text)books are:
The Making of Modern Japan by Marius B. Jansen
A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present by Andrew Gordon
If you need/want more specific recommendations aside from general histories I'd be happy to recommend or help you find some.
I'm reading *The Japanese Empire* by SCM Paine.
So far I'm enjoying it. It starts with the opening of Japan and the subsequent grand strategy the Japanese set upon that lead to conflicts with China, Russia and later the Americans
This might be too niche but any recommendations for short(<200 pgs) book on the Roman Social War?
Or perhaps a similarly short book on other parts of Republican Rome?
Mike Duncan covers that in his Storm before the Storm. The whole book is about 300 pages but covers the period the destruction of Carthage to Sulla’s dictatorship.
“A sand county almanac” by professor Aldo Leopold, for Minnesota history buffs, can’t be beat! Coming in 70’s, out of Nam, it Completely changed my career trajectory. I became a Forester. I think of it fondly.
I'm looking for books about late 19th century and early 20th century mental health treatments and procedures or just the psychiatry field in general in that time frame. Thanks!
I don't know of this exists, but I'm looking to read a little bit more about the development of government social safety nets/social programs. Tony Judt's *Postwar* got into it to a degree, as did *A History of Modern Britain*, but I'm hoping for a book(s) that touch on global governments.
Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but, "A Good Man," by Mark Kennedy Shriver talks about his father's role in creating safety nets in America.
English books on Korea are few and far. I read this one by D. Tudor, but it was just a garbled-together series of essays that were clumsily piled into a book, and he’s a former Economist writer so he’s pretty center-right/pro-business—wouldn’t recommend. Plus it’s mostly since the WW2 era.
Mao - The Unknown Story (Jung Chang & Jon Halliday)
Stuck in lockdown here in Auckland, New Zealand, finished all my books weeks ago and this was left behind by a previous flatmate.
Is this a book widely accredited and endorsed by historians?
Because I've only just read a 100 pages and its shocking, I didn't know anything about Mao other than he emerged victorious with the CCP at the end of WWII.
This book depicts him as the most cruel, lying, opportunistic, backstabbing murderous sadist who showed little to no sympathy for the peasants of china, no devotion to the communist cause, no great orator or military commander or intellectual. Just a ruthless opportunist who came close to choosing the nationalists over the communists and cared for nothing but himself.
I assumed he must have been a 'great man' of at least one exceptional talent to have got a country like China under the rule of his PRC but so far in the book I've got to 1930 and everyone under him loathes him and he by rights should have been arrested/killed/expelled many times over by the Russians/nationalists/CCP leadership and I can't believe he's going to end up on top.
So before I go any further I want to know just how endorsed this book is.
This book is generally not loved by historians because of how she misread and selected only certain sources while choosing to leave others out. Several historians have called this book "a major disaster for the contemporary China field" because of how it portrays Mao as a single-dimension monster and nothing else, nothing complex. There has even been a whole book written regarding how historians feel about this book,
Was Mao Really a Monster?: The Academic Response to Chang and Halliday’s "Mao: The Unknown Story
It is an edited volume with each chapter being from a different respected historian in the field. They all voice their grievances in their areas of expertise
From what I've heard the book is basically a hatchet job with many sources only half-quoted or done so out of context. The wikipedia page on the book captures quite a bit of the academic criticism: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao:\_The\_Unknown\_Story#Criticism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao:_The_Unknown_Story#Criticism)
Yes it does read like one, there are many times they insist these big revelations were completely covered up and the truth hidden by the Chinese government and I'm wondering well how exactly did these two authors uncover these things that apparently not even the top CCP leadership knew. They also paint others like north Korean founder Kim, the Chinese nationalist leader and even Stalin as completely helpless in the face of mao's duplicity and ruthlessness.
Does anyone have a book on an introduction to Chinese history from prehistory to today? I read a bit of Michael Wood's Story of China and hated for how anachronistic it was and how it focused on ordinary people rather than the stuff I'm interested in such as emperors. Thanks.
Not just one book, but a series of books:
[History of Imperial China](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LN22WR1?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_tukn) (multiple authors but all edited by Timothy Brook)
This series of 6 books covers all of the major dynasties of Chinese history, starting with the Qin 221 BCE-206 BCE, so not quite prehistory but it still gets back there.
For a single book, you could try [China: A History](https://www.amazon.com/China-History-John-Keay-dp-0465015808/dp/0465015808/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1634843598) by John Keay. I have not read this because I, in general, do not like these large sweeping single-volume histories, especially in a country like China.
I really liked Gavan Daws' [Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands
](http://Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0824803248/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_Y6YXZEEGF611P91AA9VH). Although the book was published in 1974, I feel that it is still quite pertinent. It's worth noting, however, that the author's take on slavery in the southern US and lynchings is glaringly dated.
Hey there. Definitely check out Ronen Bergman's [Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations
](http://Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1400069718/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_9Q07B19B2TW44KFMQYDV).
Book recommendation for a Christmas gift for dad?
sorry if this isn’t the place for search, but my 50 yr old American dad enjoys military history. Would love to find him a great read for the holidays. I know hes particularly interested in European world war ii hist, the napoleonic wars, and the American civil war. He’s always watching documentaries about this stuff, but he doesn’t go out of his way for the books. I think he’d like a book to read on the beach though. Any ideas, scholars?
Antony Beevor has some good books about WW2 battles. Nice balance of research, information and readability. For a nice change of usual fare I recommend *It Never Snows in September* By Robert J. Kershaw, which is supposed to be the only book about Market Garden covering German side.
You can't go wrong with Anthony beevor as already mentioned and along side him with James Holland and max Hastings they cover most of the main battles of the war.
Some books also worth looking into. Leningrad by Anna reid. Kursk by Lloyd Clark. Barbarossa by jonathon dimbleby.
Hey there! Your dad may like one of the following. [Napoleon The Great](http://Napoleon The Great https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0141032014/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_RBJ71SENN8HVEBWWKKN7) by Andrew Roberts, [World War II at Sea](http://World War II at Sea: A Global History https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0190243678/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_WB1CD2H2W2NBHNQW5A5P)by Craig Symmonds and James McPherson's [Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
](http://Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era https://www.amazon.ca/dp/019516895X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_M5SFPJES4YS9RCX8KKTC).
Hi there guys this thread is awesome I'm really glad it exists. I'm from Canada if that is relative. I was wondering where to start my readings on history/politics? I have partially read the Gulag Archipelago but my ignorance on politics makes it hard to fully understand and I recently picked up a book on general history but I wanted some recommendations on what I should read and particularly I wanted a recommendation on something that would be a good foundation to build on (I guess for a north american to start with). Any comments are very much appreciated and a description would be a bonus! Thanks.
Hey there fellow Canuck! I have a ton of books I can recommend. A good place to start would be identifying a general area of interest.
For North America, I really recommend the following books covering Native American history: *Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee* by Dee Brown, *Empire of the Summer Moon* by S. C. Gwynne and *The Earth is Weeping* by Peter Cozzens. National Geographic also had a fantastic visual history book called *The Old West* by Stephen G. Hyslop. Also check out *Blood and Thunder* by Hampton Sides.
For Canadian history, I really enjoyed reading Peter Gossage's [An Illustrated History of Quebec: Tradition and Modernity
](http://An Illustrated History of Quebec: Tradition and Modernity https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0199009953/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_STT77G9JAZJ8HQ87PA45?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1), Adam Shoalts' [A History of Canada in Ten Maps](http://A History of Canada in Ten Maps: Epic Stories of Charting a Mysterious Land https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0143193988/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_EZG0GSDEE3VY950ZYKRW) and Jean Teillet's [The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel's People, the Métis Nation
](http://The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel's People, the Métis Nation https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1443450138/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_6516F8E1NEYG06S6YG38).
I also strongly recommend DK Publishing's book on the US Civil War. The mix of visual and text reading really helps things settle in. Also check out their books on WW1, WW2, The History of the World Map by Map and WW2 Map by Map.
That’s awesome thanks! I recently bought a book thats just a general scope of humankind so it’s called The History Book and in it, it has pictures and is very very nicely formatted and I am extremely enjoying it because of that and so I will DEFINITELY look into DK’s publishing!
I don’t really have an area of interest except that I was hoping to kind of understand politics a little better so that when I read history I can actually make more sense of it. But do yiu think I should just learn about general politics such as what platforms stand for just by doing research on the internet?
My pleasure, DK and the Smithsonian are fantastic publishers. I would becareful of general internet sources on politics due to how skewed opinions can be. But in general, a bried Wikipedia browse can do wonders!
Hey there. Philip Freeman's aptly named [Julius Caeser](http://Julius Caesar https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0743289544/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_KXJ75S0JE50J8TV8EH4H) is fantastic! If you are looking for Caeser's own, first hand account of his campaigns, then definitely check out [The Landmark Julius Caesar
](http://The Landmark Julius Caesar: The Complete Works: Gallic War, Civil War, Alexandrian War, African War, and Spanish War https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0307455440/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_6EGS3J159BWFH4CVZFBS).
Best book on Charlemagne? One that emphasizes politics instead of personality. Preferably one that can explain how he consolidated power among the Franks, expanded from Francia into Germania, the founding of the Holy Roman Empire, and how one individual retained control over such a large space in early medieval Europe. There are many biographies of Charlemagne and they all seem to have low ratings on Amazon, which actually tend to be good barometers for what I think of books after reading them.
The only one I can think of is quite comprehensive and definitely isn't a light read. Check out Janet Nelson's epic [King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne.
](http://King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne https://www.amazon.ca/dp/024130525X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_RDFAJ5TAWQQTJWSBJWWD)
Hey there, not sure if you will be able to find a book solely focusing on Radu as not much is known about his life outside of basic information on his adoption of Islam, time spent at the Ottoman court and contestation of the Wallachian throne.
American medical history, Black history in America, and how the two are intertwined:
“The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South” by Chip Jones
Mountaineering history, how we first climbed Mt. Everest & all of the previous failures/advances it took to get there:
“The World Beneath Their Feet: The British, the Americans, the Nazis, and the Mountaineering Race to Summit the Himalayas” by Scott Ellsworth
Tacking on to Everest books - High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed by Michael Kodas details the influx of wealthy climbers and how this has changed the culture and experience around Mt Everest expeditions in a criminal sense (abandonment, violence, coercion, etc). Fascinating educational thriller.
I prefer, “know thyself” books. Think the paperbound is available, “3 magic words” by U Andersen’s short and sweet. Read it many years ago and still remember it.
I just finished a book called You Are Not A Rock by Mark Freeman. I don't know what iy was about that book but a lot of things clicked for me. I'd recomend checking out a blurb on it and see if it is what you're looking for!
I loved The Power of Positive Thinking. There's a lot of stories, one: a workaholic thinks he must be a go getter or the world will end... gets out of bed at 5, looks out the window, sees a bird sleeping in the tree. It wakes up, shakes feathers, then goes back to sleep. He's shocked, didn't know such a thing ever could happen; if Nature could do it maybe it was OK? so he went back to bed.
Then the author, Norman Vincent Peale, was all het up to get to his banquet on time, all nervous and hurry; then realized what's the big rush? Sat in his room and read his Bible for a few minutes, got to the banquet late but all he missed was the soup which by common consensus was no great loss.
I’m slow reader and there’s about two months left in the year. Give me recommendations for books of 200 pages or less of main body text.
One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. Super interesting read about what a day looks like in a Soviet Gulag
BOSS by Mike Royko (216 according to goodreads) \-Book about Richard Daley who was the LONGTIME mayor of Chicago (not his son who was the Mayor for EVEN LONGER) and all the shenanigans around a corrupt and morally bankrupt city administration in the mid 1900's
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Not in depth, but it has a chapter or so on the late 19th & early 20th century Chicago which includes the race riots and how Daley was a involved in a "sporting club" or something that was heavily involved. I think there just might not be much archival evidence that PROVES he was involved, but circumstancily... (also REALLY REALLY good stuff on the 1968 convention) EDIT: The best descriptor for this book is imagine The Power Broker (REAALLLLLY long Pulitzer Prize winner book about Robert Moses in NYC) but subtract 1000 pages.
The Very Short Introductions series by Oxford University Press. They have amassed an incredible amount of titles and their history section has grown very well. The titles are all between 100-200 pages, usually more to the lower end of that. I personally love to shove in a book of that series before I tackle any larger project and them being so short and often very well written they are great to get tastes about topics you never thought you might be interested in. I have not read a lot of their history section thus far, having mostly stuck to their religion section but the book Prehistory and The Maya were great.
Animal farm by George Orwell is great and only about 115 pages
Looking for books on Ottoman history? Check out my list below! *The Last Muslim Conquest: The Ottoman Empire and Its Wars in Europe* by Gàbor Àgoston. The latter provides an in depth and rich look at the Ottoman Empire's socio-economic and military history from the Empire's rise to the Siege of Vienna and beyond. Why I really loved this book was the author's tying in of pertinent events within the Ottoman Empire to those on Europe, such as the rise of the Hapsburgs. Àgoston also does a great job examining key details within the Empire, such as frontier management, intelligence, diplomacy and military structure! David Fromkin's *A Peace to End All Peace," is another fantastic book that covers the fall of the Ottoman Empire, specifocally focusing on the aftermath of the First World War and the problematic role France and England played in dividing up the lands formerly under the Ottomans. Alan Mikhail's *God's Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World* looks at the Ottoman Empire's peak of military and economic dominance in the 16th century through a thorough, interesting account of Sultan Selim the Grim's life. Lastly, Caroline Finkel's *Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire* also offers a comprehensive overview of the Ottoman Empire's socio-cultural, political and military history.
Thank you for the recommendations!
Brilliant recommendations as usual.
Thank you my friend, I try to only recommend the best books I come by.
I'm reading a book about the Thirty Years' War, I guess because I liked to be depressed. Martinic and Slavata *just* got tossed out the window after 127 pages of explaining the context.
Peter Wilson's? It's a good book but a hell of a lot of detail. I can see why the war isn't really remembered today (in the Anglosphere at least), shit was complicated
How many pages between them and Fabricius getting thrown out?
There's only one book on general Bavarian history in English that was written in 1906. I don't think there are any others in existence besides your niche topics like Ludwig II or Merovingian Bavaria. My only other idea is to email an author who wrote a Bavarian history book and ask them if they ever translated it from German to English. If any of you guys could find a Bavarian history book in English, that'd be super impressive.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - Bill walks the Appalachian Trail with his friend, fat Katz. In my opinion, a classic that isn't funny ain't a classic. And this is very, very funny. The trail winds along, the woods are full of beauty and various dangers, and Bill rebuffs people's zeal for their latest backpacking gear with terse, roaring funny observations. But there's a note of sorrow, too. Americans have gotten so they don't walk anywhere - they'll jump in the car to go 100 yards. Some of them were shocked to learn that Bill and Katz had walked all the way there (carrying those heavy-looking backpacks) from the parking lot, and frankly didn't believe the correction that they'd actually walked all the way from Georgia.
*The Last Five Hours of Austria*, by Eugene Lennhoff. An account of the Nazi occupation of Austria by a reporter who was there on the ground when it happened. Fascinating read.
i just read the song of Achilles it was great and now I am sad
Thanks for the recommendation! Was just curious what the book is about?
It's basically set before and during the trojan war. It is fiction but it fits with the works based around then like the Iliad and is based upon the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus
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I enjoyed this one Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World Niall Ferguson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/166434.Empire
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Be aware that Ferguson has a reputation of a bit of an imperial apologist. He’s fine to read, but it’s worth keeping that in mind while you read (and maybe seeking out opposing views, just to get a fuller understanding).
Any book recommendations for modern Indian history? Preferably books that do a good job covering Kashmir.
India after Gandhi?
Right now I am taking a class on contemporary Asian politics and we are in the India section right now. For it, we read: (Not necessarily history, but could still be worth it) "Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy" by Christophe Jaffrelot (trans. by Cynthia Schoch). It is a pretty dense book regarding the current PM of India, Modi. It touches a little on Kashmir in a few of the chapters. "The End of Karma: Hope and Fury Among India's Young" by Somini Sengupta. This one is less academic than Modi's India, it is much more journalistic but in contrast, it is much easier to read. This one is more about personal stories from India's more downtrodden citizens, but I have not finished it yet so I cannot say if it has anything on Kashmir. (Not reading for class, but could still be good) "A Concise History of India" by Barbara Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf has a lot of mentions of the Kashmir issue towards the end of the book, particularly the last 2-3 chapters. "The Loss of Hindustan: The Invention of India" by Manan Ahmed Asif also talks about Kashmir a good few times.
Thanks! Will make sure to check these out.
Has anyone got a good book on the Chinese civil war and early communist China?
There are a few I can reccomend: [China's Civil War: A Social History, 1945–1949](https://www.amazon.com/Chinas-Civil-War-1945-1949-Approaches/dp/1107678269/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=chinese+civil+war&qid=1634771813&sr=8-4) by Diana Lary [The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957](https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Liberation-History-Revolution-1945-1957/dp/1408886359/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=chinese+civil+war&qid=1634771813&sr=8-12) by Frank Dikötter [Making China Modern: From the Great Qing to Xi Jinping](https://www.amazon.com/Making-China-Modern-Great-Jinping/dp/0674248317/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Making+China+Modern%3A+From+the+Great+Qing+to+Xi+Jinping&qid=1634772208&sr=8-1) by Klaus Mühlhahn (covers a lot of history, but you can just read select chapters if you want). [The Chinese Communist Party: A Century in Ten Lives](https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Communist-Party-Century-Lives/dp/1108822614/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Chinese+Communist+Party%3A+A+Century+in+Ten+Lives&qid=1634772228&sr=8-1) edited by Timothy Cheek, Klaus Mühlhahn, and Hans van de Ven [A Social History of Maoist China Conflict and Change, 1949–1976](https://www.amazon.com/Social-History-Maoist-China-Approaches/dp/1107565502/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=A+Social+History+of+Maoist+China+Conflict+and+Change%2C+1949%E2%80%931976&qid=1634772247&sr=8-1) by Timothy Cheek
I like to have fiction-or-not book recommendations about soviet russia-second world war-samurai era-modern japanese history etc. Thanx!
Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone details the 2011 tsunami and its aftermath, written by an award winning correspondent who lived there during and for six years after. It’s written with great insight, empathy, and understanding of how natural disasters change our landscape far more than physically.
Concur! A great (but unheeded) lesson for Californians! Ignorance is not bliss, when you watch families being washed away! Thanks.
Well, there's The Rising Sun by John Toland. He spent time in Japan and his wife was Japanese, so besides researching it deeply he had some personal insight. My favorite part was at the end of the war when the Emperor was trying to surrender and the hawks were even trying to abduct him to prevent it. He had a speech prepared, it had to be written in calligraphy on a scroll for him to read; at the last minute an error was discovered in the text and there was a debate whether it had to be all rewritten or just a small correction written in. It was unthinkable that he would speak directly to the common people on the radio so they made a record of his voice and played it. There were adventures getting the record delivered to the radio station. And all the while the clock is ticking, who knew if the Americans would drop a 3rd bomb and where?
And, this isn't a book but the animated movie *Millenium Actress* about Japan's history is not to be missed. It is so beautiful
For just general modern Japanese history the two most popular (text)books are: The Making of Modern Japan by Marius B. Jansen A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present by Andrew Gordon If you need/want more specific recommendations aside from general histories I'd be happy to recommend or help you find some.
I'm reading *The Japanese Empire* by SCM Paine. So far I'm enjoying it. It starts with the opening of Japan and the subsequent grand strategy the Japanese set upon that lead to conflicts with China, Russia and later the Americans
This might be too niche but any recommendations for short(<200 pgs) book on the Roman Social War? Or perhaps a similarly short book on other parts of Republican Rome?
Mike Duncan covers that in his Storm before the Storm. The whole book is about 300 pages but covers the period the destruction of Carthage to Sulla’s dictatorship.
Thanks!
“A sand county almanac” by professor Aldo Leopold, for Minnesota history buffs, can’t be beat! Coming in 70’s, out of Nam, it Completely changed my career trajectory. I became a Forester. I think of it fondly.
Thank you for the recommendation, it does look really interesting!
I'm looking for books about late 19th century and early 20th century mental health treatments and procedures or just the psychiatry field in general in that time frame. Thanks!
Madness and civilization by Foucault? It’s more a philosophical treatise on the development of what is called madness, if I remember correctly.
There have to be some contemporaneous accounts about mental wards in London, Paris.
Facilities were called “Snake pit,” dude. I remember the movie but I’m sure there’s a book or 2.
Reading Albions seed by David Hackett Fischer
What is it about, and do you recommend it so far?
I don't know of this exists, but I'm looking to read a little bit more about the development of government social safety nets/social programs. Tony Judt's *Postwar* got into it to a degree, as did *A History of Modern Britain*, but I'm hoping for a book(s) that touch on global governments.
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Thank you for the suggestion!
Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but, "A Good Man," by Mark Kennedy Shriver talks about his father's role in creating safety nets in America.
Any books in English about Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf?
Books about Korean history? I'm interested in everything from pre-history up to WWII era. Any help is appreciated!
English books on Korea are few and far. I read this one by D. Tudor, but it was just a garbled-together series of essays that were clumsily piled into a book, and he’s a former Economist writer so he’s pretty center-right/pro-business—wouldn’t recommend. Plus it’s mostly since the WW2 era.
Mao - The Unknown Story (Jung Chang & Jon Halliday) Stuck in lockdown here in Auckland, New Zealand, finished all my books weeks ago and this was left behind by a previous flatmate. Is this a book widely accredited and endorsed by historians? Because I've only just read a 100 pages and its shocking, I didn't know anything about Mao other than he emerged victorious with the CCP at the end of WWII. This book depicts him as the most cruel, lying, opportunistic, backstabbing murderous sadist who showed little to no sympathy for the peasants of china, no devotion to the communist cause, no great orator or military commander or intellectual. Just a ruthless opportunist who came close to choosing the nationalists over the communists and cared for nothing but himself. I assumed he must have been a 'great man' of at least one exceptional talent to have got a country like China under the rule of his PRC but so far in the book I've got to 1930 and everyone under him loathes him and he by rights should have been arrested/killed/expelled many times over by the Russians/nationalists/CCP leadership and I can't believe he's going to end up on top. So before I go any further I want to know just how endorsed this book is.
This book is generally not loved by historians because of how she misread and selected only certain sources while choosing to leave others out. Several historians have called this book "a major disaster for the contemporary China field" because of how it portrays Mao as a single-dimension monster and nothing else, nothing complex. There has even been a whole book written regarding how historians feel about this book, Was Mao Really a Monster?: The Academic Response to Chang and Halliday’s "Mao: The Unknown Story It is an edited volume with each chapter being from a different respected historian in the field. They all voice their grievances in their areas of expertise
From what I've heard the book is basically a hatchet job with many sources only half-quoted or done so out of context. The wikipedia page on the book captures quite a bit of the academic criticism: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao:\_The\_Unknown\_Story#Criticism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao:_The_Unknown_Story#Criticism)
Yes it does read like one, there are many times they insist these big revelations were completely covered up and the truth hidden by the Chinese government and I'm wondering well how exactly did these two authors uncover these things that apparently not even the top CCP leadership knew. They also paint others like north Korean founder Kim, the Chinese nationalist leader and even Stalin as completely helpless in the face of mao's duplicity and ruthlessness.
Does anyone have a book on an introduction to Chinese history from prehistory to today? I read a bit of Michael Wood's Story of China and hated for how anachronistic it was and how it focused on ordinary people rather than the stuff I'm interested in such as emperors. Thanks.
Not just one book, but a series of books: [History of Imperial China](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LN22WR1?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_tukn) (multiple authors but all edited by Timothy Brook) This series of 6 books covers all of the major dynasties of Chinese history, starting with the Qin 221 BCE-206 BCE, so not quite prehistory but it still gets back there. For a single book, you could try [China: A History](https://www.amazon.com/China-History-John-Keay-dp-0465015808/dp/0465015808/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1634843598) by John Keay. I have not read this because I, in general, do not like these large sweeping single-volume histories, especially in a country like China.
Looking for a book on the history of Hawaiʻi (not a biography), preferably from settlement through statehood at least.
I really liked Gavan Daws' [Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands ](http://Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0824803248/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_Y6YXZEEGF611P91AA9VH). Although the book was published in 1974, I feel that it is still quite pertinent. It's worth noting, however, that the author's take on slavery in the southern US and lynchings is glaringly dated.
Does anyone have any recommendations for books on operations of the Mossad?
Hey there. Definitely check out Ronen Bergman's [Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations ](http://Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1400069718/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_9Q07B19B2TW44KFMQYDV).
Ha! I actually bought the audio book a few hours ago! Glad to see it recommended!
Looking for firsthand account of Japan from Europeans during Sengoku period or Meiji era.
Book recommendation for a Christmas gift for dad? sorry if this isn’t the place for search, but my 50 yr old American dad enjoys military history. Would love to find him a great read for the holidays. I know hes particularly interested in European world war ii hist, the napoleonic wars, and the American civil war. He’s always watching documentaries about this stuff, but he doesn’t go out of his way for the books. I think he’d like a book to read on the beach though. Any ideas, scholars?
Antony Beevor has some good books about WW2 battles. Nice balance of research, information and readability. For a nice change of usual fare I recommend *It Never Snows in September* By Robert J. Kershaw, which is supposed to be the only book about Market Garden covering German side.
You can't go wrong with Anthony beevor as already mentioned and along side him with James Holland and max Hastings they cover most of the main battles of the war. Some books also worth looking into. Leningrad by Anna reid. Kursk by Lloyd Clark. Barbarossa by jonathon dimbleby.
Hey there! Your dad may like one of the following. [Napoleon The Great](http://Napoleon The Great https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0141032014/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_RBJ71SENN8HVEBWWKKN7) by Andrew Roberts, [World War II at Sea](http://World War II at Sea: A Global History https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0190243678/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_WB1CD2H2W2NBHNQW5A5P)by Craig Symmonds and James McPherson's [Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era ](http://Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era https://www.amazon.ca/dp/019516895X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_M5SFPJES4YS9RCX8KKTC).
Hi there guys this thread is awesome I'm really glad it exists. I'm from Canada if that is relative. I was wondering where to start my readings on history/politics? I have partially read the Gulag Archipelago but my ignorance on politics makes it hard to fully understand and I recently picked up a book on general history but I wanted some recommendations on what I should read and particularly I wanted a recommendation on something that would be a good foundation to build on (I guess for a north american to start with). Any comments are very much appreciated and a description would be a bonus! Thanks.
Hey there fellow Canuck! I have a ton of books I can recommend. A good place to start would be identifying a general area of interest. For North America, I really recommend the following books covering Native American history: *Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee* by Dee Brown, *Empire of the Summer Moon* by S. C. Gwynne and *The Earth is Weeping* by Peter Cozzens. National Geographic also had a fantastic visual history book called *The Old West* by Stephen G. Hyslop. Also check out *Blood and Thunder* by Hampton Sides. For Canadian history, I really enjoyed reading Peter Gossage's [An Illustrated History of Quebec: Tradition and Modernity ](http://An Illustrated History of Quebec: Tradition and Modernity https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0199009953/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_STT77G9JAZJ8HQ87PA45?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1), Adam Shoalts' [A History of Canada in Ten Maps](http://A History of Canada in Ten Maps: Epic Stories of Charting a Mysterious Land https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0143193988/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_EZG0GSDEE3VY950ZYKRW) and Jean Teillet's [The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel's People, the Métis Nation ](http://The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel's People, the Métis Nation https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1443450138/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_6516F8E1NEYG06S6YG38). I also strongly recommend DK Publishing's book on the US Civil War. The mix of visual and text reading really helps things settle in. Also check out their books on WW1, WW2, The History of the World Map by Map and WW2 Map by Map.
That’s awesome thanks! I recently bought a book thats just a general scope of humankind so it’s called The History Book and in it, it has pictures and is very very nicely formatted and I am extremely enjoying it because of that and so I will DEFINITELY look into DK’s publishing! I don’t really have an area of interest except that I was hoping to kind of understand politics a little better so that when I read history I can actually make more sense of it. But do yiu think I should just learn about general politics such as what platforms stand for just by doing research on the internet?
My pleasure, DK and the Smithsonian are fantastic publishers. I would becareful of general internet sources on politics due to how skewed opinions can be. But in general, a bried Wikipedia browse can do wonders!
Thanks so much you were a great help. I will take a look at all these recommendations! :)
My pleasure my friend, always glad to help. Feel free to stay in touch. Let me know how you like DK!
Any good books about Julius Cesar?
Throwing Goldsworthy’s Caesar into the ring: easy to read and by a serious academic.
Awesome man thank you
Hey there. Philip Freeman's aptly named [Julius Caeser](http://Julius Caesar https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0743289544/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_KXJ75S0JE50J8TV8EH4H) is fantastic! If you are looking for Caeser's own, first hand account of his campaigns, then definitely check out [The Landmark Julius Caesar ](http://The Landmark Julius Caesar: The Complete Works: Gallic War, Civil War, Alexandrian War, African War, and Spanish War https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0307455440/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_6EGS3J159BWFH4CVZFBS).
Hello friend! I am reading Philip Freeman’s one now. Thank you for the recommendation!
My pleasure. Hope you like it!
Best book on Charlemagne? One that emphasizes politics instead of personality. Preferably one that can explain how he consolidated power among the Franks, expanded from Francia into Germania, the founding of the Holy Roman Empire, and how one individual retained control over such a large space in early medieval Europe. There are many biographies of Charlemagne and they all seem to have low ratings on Amazon, which actually tend to be good barometers for what I think of books after reading them.
The only one I can think of is quite comprehensive and definitely isn't a light read. Check out Janet Nelson's epic [King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne. ](http://King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne https://www.amazon.ca/dp/024130525X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_RDFAJ5TAWQQTJWSBJWWD)
Anybody know a decent book covering the life of Radu the Handsome? He's Count Dracula's little brother.
Hey there, not sure if you will be able to find a book solely focusing on Radu as not much is known about his life outside of basic information on his adoption of Islam, time spent at the Ottoman court and contestation of the Wallachian throne.
American medical history, Black history in America, and how the two are intertwined: “The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South” by Chip Jones Mountaineering history, how we first climbed Mt. Everest & all of the previous failures/advances it took to get there: “The World Beneath Their Feet: The British, the Americans, the Nazis, and the Mountaineering Race to Summit the Himalayas” by Scott Ellsworth
Tacking on to Everest books - High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed by Michael Kodas details the influx of wealthy climbers and how this has changed the culture and experience around Mt Everest expeditions in a criminal sense (abandonment, violence, coercion, etc). Fascinating educational thriller.
book idee: what would happen if a KKK guy wakes up after a car accident to discover he's been given a heart transplant from "one o' *them*"?
Can anyone recommend self help books about improving oneself?
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
I prefer, “know thyself” books. Think the paperbound is available, “3 magic words” by U Andersen’s short and sweet. Read it many years ago and still remember it.
I just finished a book called You Are Not A Rock by Mark Freeman. I don't know what iy was about that book but a lot of things clicked for me. I'd recomend checking out a blurb on it and see if it is what you're looking for!
I loved The Power of Positive Thinking. There's a lot of stories, one: a workaholic thinks he must be a go getter or the world will end... gets out of bed at 5, looks out the window, sees a bird sleeping in the tree. It wakes up, shakes feathers, then goes back to sleep. He's shocked, didn't know such a thing ever could happen; if Nature could do it maybe it was OK? so he went back to bed. Then the author, Norman Vincent Peale, was all het up to get to his banquet on time, all nervous and hurry; then realized what's the big rush? Sat in his room and read his Bible for a few minutes, got to the banquet late but all he missed was the soup which by common consensus was no great loss.
In the words of Bill Cosby... "How did I get here?"