This thread is to share whatever History Books you are cracking open these days and what you think of what you’re reading (or listening to, Audio counts). Also, for upcoming releases you are interested in or eyeballing. And discussing the aforementioned.
I’ll start, I just bought this, and so far its looks interesting. Not enough to comment yet, however.
BTW, as a gentle prod to this thread, discussion of history and its interpretations can certainly become heated and veer to the political, and that is fine, but any in-depth debate or discussion of current political debates and partisan feeling/interpretations of today’s world I’d much rather see in P&R. Hasn’t happened yet, best to say before it does.
Playing AC: Odyssey inspired me to finally finish my copy of Herodotus (was about 2/3 through) and then pick up Thucydides. I made it through three books before I had to return it to the library. (Someone put it on hold, which I really was not expecting.)
Those count as history books, right? Certainly not “upcoming releases”, heh.
What’s the best way to read/listen to Herodotus? I listen to him a lot through Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcasts as he re-tells the stories that Herodotus told, with the appropriate skepticism, but never read the original.
I recently read Gordon Corrigan’s The Second World War. This is the first military history of the war I’ve read, previous related books being Bloodlands and Freedom from Fear.
I picked this one up at random after I couldn’t find my first pick at the library. I was looking for a general overview to pair with my first set of HoI4 playthroughs. If anyone with more subject knowledge has a critique of Corrigan’s work, I’m interested in hearing it.
Playing a game while reading a book with shared subject matter is about my favorite way to engage in this hobby. Here are some of the books and games I’ve enjoyed in the past:
Agreed. For Thucydides I got the Landmark Thucydides which has some decent footnotes and historical background essays (even if I already knew a decent amount just from, ahem, wikipedia); Thucycides goes a lot more for trying to explain why things happen, for which it really helps to have some sort of context about things that were common knowledge to him. For Herodotus I really don’t think you need much help, especially if you’re at an I’ve-listened-to-every-Hardcord-History-episode level of familiarity. Herodotus just kinda… says shit. Like, sure, every person from that tribe was seven feet tall and had a perfectly cubic head, why not, dude. Makes for a fun read, though.
As part of the research I’m doing I re-read a couple of books I was first exposed to in grad school way back when, American Slavery, American Freedom by Edmund Morgan, and White Over Black, by Winthrop Jordan. Though they date to the late sixties, they are still pretty essential for getting a grip on the development of, among other things, the history of American political thought. Also re-read Rush Welter’s The Mind of America, which covers early republic intellectual history. It’s also extremely valuable, if quite a bit more idiosyncratic and flawed than the other two.
I’m listening to a book I’ve wanted to read for decades: James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, perhaps the best-regarded single-volume history of the American Civil War. I can see why it’s so admired: it is well-written, well-researched, and super engaging. Loving it, and I haven’t even gotten to Fort Sumter yet.
I had Donald Kagan for Greek History as a freshman in college. That course changed my life, quite literally, as it helped transform me from a math major to a history major. I still have vivid recollections of many of his lectures, but none more than his “Hoplite Phalanx,” in which he dragooned students onto the stage and formed them into a, well, hoplite phalanx. A brilliant guy, terrific scholar, great speaker.
I’m going to take this opportunity to ask for some suggestions, actually. I am a huge fan of a certain era of history, as I imagine many of us are, and will read just about anything about it. Specifically, the turn of the 19th century, since so much happened then. The Jefferson and Madison administrations, War of 1812, the reign of Bonaparte, the Lewis and Clark expedition, I could just go on and on. I’ve read many books about these, but I’m wondering if there are any great ones I may have missed, anyone have a particular favorite they’d like to recommend?
