Book recommendations

[Lorenzo_H]

Hello.

After searching for some time, I have found some books which deal with the Medieval (and a few on the Roman) period of History. I can thoroughly recommend the following on their informative, absorbing and entertaining style:

Medieval Period

"The Renaissance at War" by Thomas Arnold. Particularly good for those interested in the Late Medieval period. Deals with gunpowder and how it's introduction was controversial. Also; why disciplined Pikemen trained in ancient Greek and Roman fashion were the way forward in the 1500s. Read about Swiss Pikemen and how valuable they were. Read about Cross vs Crescent wars, and the powerful Spanish Habsburgs. Illustrations are contemprary woodcuts, engravings and paintings in colour, all fully explained and appropriately placed. Includes maps and battle plans, both in colour and vivid.

"Conquistadors" by Michael Wood. Shows how Cortes, who landed in the new world with less than 300 Spaniards and 13 horses, and Pizzaro with less than 200 Europeans and 67 horse each managed to subdjugate and destroy two major Civilizations and take over a whole continent. Wonderful illustrations in colour.

"Castles and Crusaders" by Matthew Bennett. Well the title really explains fully what this book deals with - a must for any Medieval 2 Total War fan. Illustrations and maps in vivid colour.

Roman Period

"Roman Legions" by H.M.D. Parker. A relatively old book, but still relevant now nonetheless, this famous book deals firstly with the Pre-Marian army and then discusses the Marian Reforms and how they affected tactical formation, training and recruitment. Julius Ceasar's army is described along with that of Pompey. Other topics talked about include; Centurians, legionary strength, recruitment, duration of service, pay, peace-time employment, decorations, punishments, marriage and discharge of the Roman Imperial Army. It does not have many illustrations so unless you don't mind this I suggest:

"Roman Warfare" by Adrian Goldsworthy. Same publisher as the "Castles..."
and "Renaissance..." books I mentioned above, so brilliant illustrations, well edited etc. Haven't read it yet but all the other books in this series have been brilliant.

Does anyone else have any reccomendations for everyone?

[Cangrande]

Two of my big favourites are A History of Venice and A Short History of Byzantium both by John Julius Norwich

Although 'general' histories, they are both good on the political/military side. Good old-fashioned narrative history at its very best

[Mooks]

Historical fiction anyone? Best kind of books.

Bernard Cornwell. This man is a genuis. Involves true historical information his book along with a fictional character and a good story. The characters in his books are soldiers, and bloodthirsty ones that at.

Nonfiction. "Crossing the rubicon" based on Julius Caesar. Cant remeber author.

[Marshal Murat]

Sienkiewicz is my favorite historical-fiction author.
He wrote 'With Fire and Sword' 'Deluge' and 'Fire in the Steppe' (or Pan Wolodyjowski if you prefer)

Cornwell is a very intelligent and accomplished historical fiction writer.
Patrick O'Brian's style didn't click with me, but you can always try your local library.

Dumas writes some wicked ones to.

[Lorenzo_H]

Historical fiction anyone? Best kind of books.

Bernard Cornwell. This man is a genuis. Involves true historical information his book along with a fictional character and a good story. The characters in his books are soldiers, and bloodthirsty ones that at.

Nonfiction. "Crossing the rubicon" based on Julius Caesar. Cant remeber author.

I don't like Bernard Cornwell that much - his writing is too dirty and unheroic for me. Even though I have read quite a few Sharpe novels...

[Kralizec]

I heartily recommend Donald Kagans The Penelopessian war.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It's about the medieval period, obviously

[Geoffrey S]

For a very broad, and to be honest somewhat dated, view of the developments around the Mediterranean until the end of the Roman Empire, try The Mediterranean in the Ancient World by Fernand Braudel. He presents a far more abstract side of history through the geography, art and demographics and connects them with the more obvious historical events, and does so in a manner which makes it a real pleasure to read. Like I said, it is dated in places so find a version with updated notes.

[Marshal Murat]

Peloponnesian War (I think even that is mispelled)-A very good book about the war between the Delian & Peloponnesian League.

I've heard some good things about Horatio Hornblower.

Currently reading Sea of Thunder by Evan Thomas, one that really enjoy.

[ajaxfetish]

For some excellent medieval writing, I'd recommend A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchman. It covers the earlier part of the Hundred Years War and other contemporary events, along with painting a picture of the time in general.

I don't like Bernard Cornwell that much - his writing is too dirty and unheroic for me.

Kinda like war, eh?

Ajax

[Randarkmaan]

"A history of Islamic Societies" by Ira M. Lapidus is very good for Islamic history if you're into that...

Also Carl Grimberg's (A swede) "Världshistoria" is a very good collection of history books, it focuses on the lives of people (mostly those important) and is rather interesting to read, though expect som bias against certain people at times for an example the Turks and other Muslims ("Mohammedans"), in this collection I find the first ones about the ancient world to be the best. I don't know if it's available in English though, but you can get it in Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Danish I think. It's roughly 30 books each of about 300 pages... Though not all are written by Grimberg as he died before he could complete his work, though all are written in the same style.

[Derfasciti]

I am currently reading "The World is Not Enough" by Zoe Oldenbourg.

It's a historical fiction about a minor Baronial family in 12th century France. So far it's pretty interesting and offers fairly good insights about how life was back then.

The Gies books on life in the middle ages are supposed to be very informative as well.

I just recently finished "The Hundred Years War" by Desmond Seward. I found it very informative and it introduced me to the war, as I knew very little about it to begin with.

I unfortunately know of very few roman books.

[Lorenzo_H]

For some excellent medieval writing, I'd recommend A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchman. It covers the earlier part of the Hundred Years War and other contemporary events, along with painting a picture of the time in general.


Kinda like war, eh?

Ajax

Well I guess I phrased that wrong; I just dislike the fact that Sharpe is such a womaniser and also Cornwall doesn't accuratly depict many of the things about the British Army then.

[Don Corleone]

Has anybody actually read "The Longships" by Bengtsson? I'm contemplating, but it seems like such a daunting task. I'd like to know it'd be worth it before dedicating that much time to it.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

The Forgotten Soldier: Guy Sajer

[Marshal Murat]

Diablo, could you expound on that theory?

Well I guess I phrased that wrong; I just dislike the fact that Sharpe is such a womaniser and also Cornwall doesn't accuratly depict many of the things about the British Army then.

[Lorenzo_H]

Ok, Sharpe is an officer in the British Army right? Ok, well firstly he is too good at being at places as events happen, secondly, hes too good at defusing those events. On the other hand, he is treated like dirt by everybody, even though he is an Officer. I can't remember the places, but surely you'd think that such a superman as Sharpe would find some favour when he leaves the army (after Napoleon's first surrender) but no, they tell him to bugger off to hell. So much for capturing an Eagle, Killing about 5 million French, saving the fleet at Trafalgar, saving Wellington in India, and single handedly with about 5 men stopping the Entire French Division at Salamanca etc. Wellington is inaccuratly depicted as a weak, but clever man who constantly has to rely on Sharpe to do everything for him. This is completely perpendicular to the character of the "Iron Duke."

Also, the idealistic concept Cornwell brings across is that British soldiers were good at one specific thing (Scissors) and the French were good at another (Paper). If you'll read about the battles (historic and made up), they always involve a massive, well fed, well equipped French force against a small, battered, bruised, starving British force where each Redcoat only has about 10 musket balls, and the Battle always ends up in the French getting beaten. The fact that the French lost is not what bothers me, its just how he seems to make a) the French seem stupid and b) the British, not least of all Sharpe, are brilliantly superior in every way.

Finally, the fact that Sharpe gets a new girlfriend every other chapter really annoys me. How can this one guy attract so many million chicks who can't wait to get their clothes off for him? It REALLY annoys me.

So, to round it off:

Slick superman Sharpe and his million mistresses make mincemeat of many megre Frenchmen under Marshall Murat*. Wellington watches while wishing he could be as good. Napoleon never knew what happened.

*no offense implied.

[ajaxfetish]

Very nice alliteration. I applaud you.

You make some good points. I think most of your complaints would have to be answered by the needs and conventions of literature, though there may be some truth to Sharpe's (and the average British soldier's) low state in the eyes of others. One of my personal favorite parts in the Sharpe books is the historical note at the end of each one, where Cornwell clarifies the boundary between fact and fiction, and explains how he slipped Sharpe into the center of the action in each story.

Ajax

[Lorenzo_H]

Why thankyou, I thought it was most artful on my part.

Yes as I mentioned somewhere before, the Historical note at the back is the only part worth reading of the whole book.

Back to (real) books, ajaxfetish I notice you have quotes from Don Quixote in your signature. I'm interested, have you read it? Its a really long book, and I recently found out how long when my collectors complete copy came in the mail, in 3 foot long, 2 foot wide package. I hope to read it sometime...

Also see Shakespeare there, nice one.

[-Silent-Pariya]

Read every one of Bernard Cornwells books except his Sharpe series they blow balls.

[Lorenzo_H]

Well I certainly hope his other series are better than Sharpe, and serve a purpose other than to make money.

[Geoffrey S]

His Warlord Trilogy on Arthur is brilliant. I don't know about the accuracy, but regardless the writing, characters and creation of atmosphere are uniformly excellent.

[Mithradates]

I enjoyed the Sharpe series despite them becoming a bit samey i learned quite alot about the peninsular war due to those books.

[Lorenzo_H]

His Warlord Trilogy on Arthur is brilliant. I don't know about the accuracy, but regardless the writing, characters and creation of atmosphere are uniformly excellent.

And in it does Arthur (or the main character) have multiple wives and mistresses? does he defeat millions of useless soldiers single handedly with nothing but a birch stick and a bottle of gin? Can he hit a bull between the eyes with a homemade grass slingshot from 5 and a half miles away? Does he invent gunpowder? can he fly?

No? Then its more historically accurate than Sharpe.

[frogbeastegg]

Other people who don't subscribe to what I call the "Bernard Cornwall Myth"! :froggy passes out from sheer shock: I've been alone for so long ...

The original Sharpe books were decent, in a silly action film way. I do like his pre-Sharpe work too, for example 'A Crowning Mercy'. Anything else, urgh! It's all downhill. I don't know what happened to him.

The best review of his Arthur trilogy I have ever read is this one. It's the only review I have seen which is representative of the books I read.

Thou shalt not mention the awfulness that is his Grail trilogy (Archer trilogy to those outside the UK) in the frog's presence. Last thing I brought by him. I dearly wish I hadn't. Stonehenge and the first of the new Sharpe books should have been enough of a clue to stop.

I hear his new Saxon series is pretty much a rehash of the Arthur books, replete with the usual errors like swords 300 years too advanced for the era, with a hero who is Derfel in all but name. From the excerpt I read (we had it in stock in the bookshop I work in, and on a slow day I got curious to see if he'd reverted to his older style) I have to agree.



To turn to history books, I've got enough to fill two massive bookcases, including some moderately rare or out of print titles. :read2: So if there are any particular topics of medieval history people want to know about chances are I can put forth a title or two if asked. Most of them are centred about medieval England and Britain though.

I would recommend anyone with so much as a passing interest read the three volumes comprising the medieval section of 'The New Oxford History of England'. They are stuffed with information on nearly every subject, provind a solid overview as well as a commentary on the events and people of the times. The titles are:
Bartlett: England under the Norman and Angevin kings
Prestwich: Plantagent England
Harriss: shaping the nation.

The four volumes of the original 'Oxford History of England' are good too; dated, with subjects left uncovered because they weren't considered valid back then, but still very good works. Stenton's Anglo Saxon England is also a part of this series. Again, dated and limited, but well worth reading.

I always throw out Layser's 'Medieval Women' as a good book to read. Fascinating. It corrects so many misconceptions and outright errors caused by the blinkered viewpoints of early 20th century historians. The amount of evidence which got left out or edited because it featured things which didn't fit the world view then ... It's like seeing real ancient Egyptian art and realising that the Victorians left off all the naughty bits: suddenly your entire understanding changes dramatically.

[Lorenzo_H]

Other people who don't subscribe to what I call the "Bernard Cornwall Myth"! :froggy passes out from sheer shock: I've been alone for so long ...

Hooray! Lets start a club! I'll bring the t-shirts, you bring the food. We could roast marshmallows over burning Cornwall novels!

[Lorenzo_H]

I just recieved a book called "In search of England" by Michael Wood. Looks very good, recommended!

[César Victor]

The "Emperor" series by Conn Iggulden. A series of four books, historical-fiction. The four books are based on the life of Julius Caesar; Iggulden states that whilst Caesar never became emperor himself, the books are about the people who made the empire. All the familiar people are in there- Caesar, Brutus, Mark Anthony, Cleopatra & Ptolemy, Octavian (Augustus ), Pompey, Crassus, Gaius Marius and Sulla plus many others.

The central characters, Caesar and Brutus, are childhood friends and it's great how Iggulden interprets them. I'm currently reading the last few pages of book 4; I've been reading em for a few years- slowly- and knowing the fate of Caesar after having "known" him for so long is sad. Honestly, these books are my most favourite and I highly recommend you give em a try if you're into the legends of Rome!

And if you don't believe me, these books have become top sellers in the UK. Iggulden's latest book is about Genghis Kahn and he will be doing a series on the life and family of the Mongols- this guy must be working his way throught the TW series!

[Hosakawa Tito]

A World Lit Only By Fire
A good read on the Medieval period in Europe.

[Lorenzo_H]

The "Emperor" series by Conn Iggulden. A series of four books, historical-fiction. The four books are based on the life of Julius Caesar; Iggulden states that whilst Caesar never became emperor himself, the books are about the people who made the empire. All the familiar people are in there- Caesar, Brutus, Mark Anthony, Cleopatra & Ptolemy, Octavian (Augustus ), Pompey, Crassus, Gaius Marius and Sulla plus many others.

The central characters, Caesar and Brutus, are childhood friends and it's great how Iggulden interprets them. I'm currently reading the last few pages of book 4; I've been reading em for a few years- slowly- and knowing the fate of Caesar after having "known" him for so long is sad. Honestly, these books are my most favourite and I highly recommend you give em a try if you're into the legends of Rome!

And if you don't believe me, these books have become top sellers in the UK. Iggulden's latest book is about Genghis Kahn and he will be doing a series on the life and family of the Mongols- this guy must be working his way throught the TW series!

I have "The Wolf of the Plains" by Conn Igulden. Its the first of the new "Conqueror" series. I have read a bit of it, but have not formulated an opinion yet. It is no doubt the un-put-downable type of book, but resonates a lot of Sharpe.