Good historically related books in general you have read.

[russia almighty]

The Palmer Raids 1919-1920 An attempt to suppress dissent by Edwin P. Hoyt

Kinda old since it was published back in 1969 BUT not only does it cover the said raids it also gives an in depth view into the 1st Red Scare .

[Cyclops]

There's an interesting book by some fella I think he's from Turkey somewhere, called Inquiries.

The original is in Greek funnily enough but there's plenty of English translations around.

Its a bit gossipy and sensational at times, and he jumps around all over the place with his narrative but there's something very original in his style.

[Horst Nordfink]

The Classical World - Robin Lan Fox
A history of Homeric Greece to the Roman Empire under Hadrian. I'm still not finished it yet but I am enjoying it thoroughly.

Rubicon - Tom Holland
A brilliant book for someone who wants an accesable account of the last century of the Roman Republic, from the Gracchi to Augustus.

Anything by Adrian Goldsworthy.
I have yet to read a poor book written by him. His biograhy of Julius Caesar is one of the greatest biographies I have read. I recommend him thoroughly.

[Mediolanicus]

Rubicon is certainly somewhere at the top of my list too.

De Oude Belgen by Ugo Janssens
= "The ancient Belgians", a book about the Celto-Germanic Belgae tribes in modern day Belgium, North-France and Southern England and Ireland.
It looks at the Roman sources (De Belle Gallico by Caesar and the De Origine et situ Germanorum by Tacitus) and compares them to archeological finds.
Very interesting and a must have for all the Dutch-speaking people here on the forum.

Tulipomania - Mike Dash
About the sudden urge to buy and speculate with Tulips in 17th century Holland and the massive inflation that followed.

The Tartar Khan's Englishman - Gabriel Ronay
The Mongols used an English outlaw as a spy and diplomatic envoy.
This book seeks out who it was and learns us more about the Mongol-empire of the 13th century and the Mongol way of life.

Montaillou - Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie
A pioneering work of microhistory of a little French village, which was one of the last bastions of the Albigensian heresy. The inquisition described the every day life of the commoners in every detail.


And if you want some historically correct fiction
Imperium - Robert Harris
About the Cicero's road to Consulship.

[Horst Nordfink]

I enjoyed Imperium too. I would enjoy a follow-on book.

[Mediolanicus]

I enjoyed Imperium too. I would enjoy a follow-on book.

It is said that he's writing a trilogy about Cicero.
In any case, a follow-on is forthcoming!

[HFox]

Clive of India: The Life and Death of a British Emperor
by robert harvey
very informative, well written and nicely paced work.

[Cyclops]

There's something about works by actual ghistorical players: they are not to be trusted any more than other historians, but the fact they were there has to count for something. I recall enjoying Mes Reveries by de Saxe (the 18th century french marshal) but the detail slips my mind: it was chiefly interesting that he wrote it before his career had really begun and its fascinating to see how he aplied the principles of his work.

The Classical World - Robin Lan Fox
A history of Homeric Greece to the Roman Empire under Hadrian. I'm still not finished it yet but I am enjoying it thoroughly

Is it more about the classical eras in Hellas and Roma (ie from the rise of the city state to the rise of the principate)?

Very solid accomplished review of the period. He likes the gay aspects of ancient Greece and gives a somewhat excited acount of the prevalence on man-boy and military love.

That issue aside he gives a balanced account AFAIK and some quite masterful summaries.

[LestaT]

I prefer historical fictions so my all time favorite is Simon Scarrow's The Eagle Series..

Currently looking for good book during Crusades era. Just read Robyn Young Crusades (the first book).

Any other suggestions ?

[Gaius Scribonius Curio]

The Eagles series is very entertaining. Something in the same vein is Conn Iggulden's series about Rome (Gods of War). A really good series, but not necessarily up everyone's alley, is The Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCollough. Fantastic!

[phoenixemperor]

Last book I finished: God's War - A New History of the Crusades by Christopher Tyerman. At about 920 pages, it was somewhat of an epic read, but if you want a detailed narrative history of the period, definitely worth it.

Reading now: The great Arab conquests : how the spread of Islam changed the world we live in by Hugh Kennedy

Nemesis : the battle for Japan, 1944-45 by Max Hastings

[mAIOR]

Crusades by Thomas F. Madden - surprisingly good!!! I wasn't expecting much from it but it is very very good.

German Campaigns of WWII by Chris Bishop and Adam Warner - very tourough very informative, very accurate.

The Illustrated book of Heraldry by Stephen Slater - a bit more focused on a particular theme but it is very good on the subject.

Chronicles of war by Paul Brewer - what has to be one of the best books (if not the best) I've ever read. It covers the history of war-reporters from 1854 to the present day! It's very, very good because it's based on the reports from war journalists who watched the conflicts wich makes this book an history of war-journalism. It may not go into many details but the major info is there and it covers a broad period very accuratly!

I'll post more if I remember...


Cheers...

[Geoffrey S]

Too many. Recently read standout books were:

- Inside the Kremlin during the Yom Kippur War - Viktor Levonovič Israėljan. Fascinating and rare look behind the scenes of the Kremlin without the usual self-justification and bias, came across it for a paper. Very refreshing.
- Via Peking back to Manchester: Britain, the Industrial Revolution, and China - Peer Vries. Hopefully a person we'll be hearing more of. An insightful comparison of England and China on the eve of the nineteenth century, as a prelude to more extensive work which he should be releasing this year. An excellent balance to the Pomeranz classic The Great Divergence and very useful for a new look at where the West started pulling out ahead of the rest.
- Global capitalism: its fall and rise in the twentieth century - Jeffry Frieden. Relatively short, easily understandable account of the changing economic situation throughout the twentieth century. Not a substitute for more technical accounts, but an essential companion to keep at least some feeling of context amongst all the technical terms.
- Arabia Felix from the Time of the Queen of Sheba: Eighth Century B.C. to First Century A.D. - Jean-François Breton. Want to know more about South Arabia in the time of EB? A very interesting read, though it shows quite clearly how little is actually known precisely, and that further reading should certainly not limit itself to English accounts. A very helpful start.

Going back a bit further I can certainly recommend:
- Thundering Zeus: the making of Hellenistic Bactria - Frank Holt. Great look-in at numismatics and not only the rise of an independent Hellenistic Bactria, but also how we know what we know.
- The great divergence: China, Europe, and the making of the modern world economy - Kenneth Pomeranz. Essential reading in the debate of the rise of the West. I don't agree with the conclusions of Pomeranz, but it provides a lot of food for thought.
- De historische Mohammed: de Mekkaanse verhalen and De historische Mohammed: de verhalen uit Medina - Johannes J.G. Jansen. A refreshing take on the days of Mohammed and the early Islam. Be warned, not for the politically faint at heart, but all the more interesting for it.
- The Middle East and Central Asia: an anthropological approach - Dale F. Eickelman. Gives a clear view of its subject matter and provides a useful context for further research into the area. Read in combination with A Concise History of the Middle East (very useful for a broad overview of early to early-modern history, but no more than that and a worthlessly biased apologist work on the flaws of Islam and its adherents) by Arthur Goldschmidt it provides a solid base of information.
- A duel of giants: Bismarck, Napoleon III, and the origins of the Franco-Prussian War - David Wetzel. Great account of the build-up of the Franco-Prussian War and the courts responsible for the clash. Marvelously written in the style of old-fashioned diplomatic historical works it's very informative of the characters of the period.