# Great Histories/Biographies Written Before ~1930 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996 "2012-08-19T20:44:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/1 "2012-08-19T20:44:25Z")
I’m currently reading William H. Prescott’s outstanding [History of the Conquest of Mexico](http://www.amazon.com/History-Conquest-Mexico-Peru/dp/0815410042/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345408122&sr=8-1&keywords=history+of+the+conquest+of+mexico). The book was written in 1843, which made me realize that - excerpts from Tacitus and Herodotus notwithstanding - I’ve almost never read histories or biographies that were written more than fifty or sixty years ago. I’m not sure why: I read fiction from all different eras. Is this true for anyone else? Does older non-fiction go out of style because new research is thought to supplant it? That must be part of the story, but it’s not the best excuse: I started at least two modern books about the conquistadors but gave up due to poor writing. Prescott’s writing, on the other hand, is excellent, and I’ll gladly take his pacing and prose over a more up-to-date author’s. So what other classic works of history/biography should I be aware of? (I’m arbitrarily picking pre-1930 as the definition of “classic”.) Gibbon I know about, but I’m not quite ready to tackle the complete “Decline and Fall”. Other suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/2 "2012-08-19T21:10:11Z")
[The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy](http://www.amazon.com/Civilization-Renaissance-Italy-Penguin-Classics/dp/014044534X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345410469&sr=1-1&keywords=jacob+burkhardt) [The Early History of Rome](http://www.amazon.com/Livy-Early-History-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140448098/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345410565&sr=1-1&keywords=livy+history+of+rome) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/3 "2012-08-19T21:36:28Z")
There’s a dude named Boswell. Wrote a book about a dude named Johnson. Might be worth checking out. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/4 "2012-08-19T23:39:18Z")
**Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds** by Charles Mackay. Published in 1841 and still a great read. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/5 "2012-08-20T14:50:59Z")
What’s with all the current events in this thread? [Herodotus: The History](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2707). Written before 1930, still a great read. If you liked (or hated) _300_, read the original! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/6 "2012-08-20T17:03:38Z")
The [Baburnama](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baburnama) is kind of interesting. It often reads like a travelogue, but offers a bit of insight into the interests of a well educated Central Asian [warlord](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babur) in the early 16th century. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/7 "2012-08-21T04:14:40Z")
Herodotus is a hack. 😉 If you want ancient history done right, read Thucydides’ [_History of the Peloponnesian War_](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7142). ---
**Author:** ![Clarence\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47c2d/32.png) [@Clarence\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clarence_R)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/8 "2012-08-21T07:41:20Z")
Theodore Mommsen’s “The History of Rome” ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/9 "2012-08-21T07:52:47Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > The [Baburnama](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baburnama) is kind of interesting. It often reads like a travelogue, but offers a bit of insight into the interests of a well educated Central Asian [warlord](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babur) in the early 16th century. Which it in fact is (considering his life). Though I perfer [his great grand sons’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahangir)[effort](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuzk-e-Jahangiri). On the other hand, I am surprised the [US Grant’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant) famous [memoirs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Memoirs_of_Ulysses_S._Grant) have not been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/10 "2012-08-21T08:09:15Z")
**Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire** [by](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_and_Fall_of_the_Roman_Empire) **Edward Gibbon** is regarded as _the_ all time classic of history-writing, to the extent that I’m very surprised it’s taken 10 posts for anyone to mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/11 "2012-08-21T09:58:04Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > **Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire** [by](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_and_Fall_of_the_Roman_Empire) **Edward Gibbon** is regarded as _the_ all time classic of history-writing, to the extent that I’m very surprised it’s taken 10 posts for anyone to mention it. I mentioned it in the last line of the OP! 🙂 Thanks for all the good suggestions so far. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/12 "2012-08-21T10:09:24Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > What’s with all the current events in this thread? [Herodotus: The History](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2707). Written before 1930, still a great read. If you liked (or hated) _300_, read the original! Herodotus makes for some very entertaining reading. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/13 "2012-08-21T10:34:59Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > I mentioned it in the last line of the OP! 🙂 So you did, and I missed it. My apologies. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-histories-biographies-written-before-1930/631996/14 "2012-08-21T12:45:15Z")
If you really want interesting history, with all the scandalous gossip about the rulers, read Procpius’ _Secret History_ or Suetonius’ _The Twelve Caesars_. Gof knows there are plenty of classic histories from before 1930. My collection of classics (mainly Penguin Classics) includes Two Lives of Charlemagne, Tacitus, Chronicles of the Crusades, Bede’s History of England, Bernal Diaz’ Conquest of New Spain (one of Prescott;s sources), and a host of others besides the aforementioned Herodotus, Thucydidies, and Gibbon. For biographies, of course, there’s Plutarch