# Need some new history books to read **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871 "2020-03-03T14:27:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/21 "2020-03-04T13:09:23Z")
Here are some of my recommendations: _The Great Arc: The Dramatic Tale of How India was Mapped and Everest was Named_ by John Keay 2000 A cool documentary of a laborious and inglorious task that helped lay down important groundwork for modern India. _The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner_ by Daniel Ellsberg 2017 A scary story of just how horrifying US nuclear war planning really is. \*Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition \*by Daniel Okrent 2010 A good summation of how prohibition got passed and it’s effects beyond just the immediate violence. _Charlatan_ by Pope Brock 2009 This one is great. About the quack doctor JR Brinkley who created a radio empire in the 20’s. _A Counterfeiters Paradise_ by Ben Tarnoff 2011 Interesting story of counterfeiting in the antebellum US. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/22 "2020-03-04T16:47:10Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Longitude > The History of Shit > Zero > Among the Thugs > The Black Death > Guns, Germs, and Steel > The Beak of the Finch > The Return of Martin Guerre thanks…I’ve actually read Guns, Germs, and steel, as well as Longitude, so I’ll check out some of these others. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/23 "2020-03-04T18:22:41Z")
If you liked _Guns, Germs and Steel_ (I did), you might like _1491_ and _1493_ by Charles Mann. _1491_ is about the state of the Americas _just before_ the arrival of Columbus and the Europeans. The second book is about the aftermath. These books are full of fascinating things most histories don’t mention, and interesting informed speculation. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/24 "2020-03-04T18:39:30Z")
Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls: True Stories of Castaways and Other Survivors by Edward Leslie It’s a thick book but each chapter is stand-alone. This is the best collection of survival stories I’ve ever come across. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/25 "2020-03-05T06:31:54Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > [A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World](https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Long-Strange-Rediscovering-World/dp/0805076034) the late Tony Horwitz follows in the footsteps of the early explorers, would-be conquerors and colonists. I hadn’t realised he’d died. A real pity. He was a fantastic columnist and short-form writer as well as book author. His Confederates in the Attic is an excellent read as well. An exploration of Civil War re-enactors and enthusiasts, so not strictly in the OP’s basket, but if you are interested in why other people become obsessed by history then this is the book for you. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/26 "2020-03-05T15:08:07Z")
The White Nile: Alan Moorehead; the history of exploration of, and search for the headwaters of the river. The Blue Nile: a sequel to the above. Astoria - Peter Stark: the story of Astor’s expeditions to capture the fur trade of the Pacific Northwest. The overland expedition faced incredible hardships, and the sea expedition ended very badly. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/27 "2020-03-05T16:27:18Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I have become fascinated with the Spanish Conquest of America in the last few years and read three very interesting and captivating books about it: > > [Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs](https://www.amazon.com/-/de/Conquistador-Hernan-Cortes-Montezuma-Aztecs/dp/0553384716/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1583267054&sr=8-1) > > A tale that reads like a novel, or rather like a legend/fairy tale with all the twists and turns that story took. > > [The Conquest of the Incas](https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/0156028263/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=373GKC8EO4U60&keywords=the+conquest+of+the+incas+by+john+hemming&qid=1583267152&s=books&sprefix=the+conquest+of+the+in%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C301&sr=1-1) > > A book with a wider scope than the one above. It describes the first conquest by Pizarro and his men, but also the following presence of Spain and the slow submission of the Inca culture in the next decades. Also a very good introduction to Inca culture and administration which in many ways had been superior to the ways and rules Spain installed. > > [Columbus: The Four Voyages, 1492-1504](https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/014312210X/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=2GBPJ0RZYSOCO&keywords=columbus+the+four+voyages%2C+1492-1504&qid=1583266985&sprefix=columbus+the+four+voyages%2Caps%2C268&sr=8-1) > > Detailing all the four voyages of Columbus, some of the later even more gripping and almost unbelievable than the first. Also a fascinating psychogram of Christopher Columbus, a man between genius and fool. I also have read a lot about the Spanish conquest (just got back from a trip to the Yucatan, again) and came to also recommend Conquistador. Buddy Levy is an excellent writer and this book is a “page-turner” of a history book. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/28 "2020-03-05T17:33:27Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Astoria - Peter Stark: the story of Astor’s expeditions to capture the fur trade of the Pacific Northwest. The overland expedition faced incredible hardships, and the sea expedition ended very badly. There is also a book of the same name, on the same subjects,\*\* Astoria\*\*, written by Washington Irving in 1836. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/29 "2020-03-05T17:50:49Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Think about state and local history books about where you live and where you grew up. I’ve actually read a huge number of these; I volunteer at my local historical society so I’m quite familiar with most of the books about the area, as we’ve got most of them in our library. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/30 "2020-03-05T18:17:52Z")
_Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, 1890-1923_ by RF Foster. This one is a bit on the thick side, but a solid third of the pages are notes, references, etc. Most of it is about what happened before the Easter Rising of 1916, the education, writings, and organization of the big names of that revolution. A bit of it is about the fighting, and the last bit is about setting up the Free State. _First to Fly_ by Charles Bracelen Flood. It’s about the Lafayette Escadrille, Americans who flew in the French air force during World War One. _The Lufthansa Heist_ by Henry Hill and Daniel Simone. Yes, _that_ Henry Hill. Some of it is speculative, but it gives a good sense of what the criminal underground was like in the late 1970’s, before and after the infamous heist. _Last to Die_ by Stephen Harding is about the last American killed in World War Two, three days _after_ the peace was signed. There’s a lot in there about Japanese officers who resisted/refused the peace, as well as info about the little known “second string super-bomber” B-32. Finally there’s _81 Days Below Zero_ by Brian Murphy with Toula Vlahou. Quite a bit is informed speculation, but it’s absolutely riveting. It’s about Leon Crane, the only survivor of plane crash in the wilderness of Alaska during World War Two, and his journey back to base through that frozen wilderness. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/31 "2020-03-05T22:32:27Z")
If the OP likes survival and/or exploration, here are some more from my Amazon list: Skeletons on the Zahara - Dean King In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster The Exploration of the Colorado River and its Canyons - John Wesley Powell Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce - Kent Nerburn A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - James Donovan Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer Death in the Sahara - Michael Asher True North: a Journey Into Unexplored Wilderness - Elliott Merrick Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone - Martin Dugard Eiger Dreams - Jon Krakauer Over The Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe - Laurence Bergreen No Way Down: Life and Death on K2 - Graham Bowley ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/32 "2020-03-05T22:59:23Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Over The Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe - Laurence Bergreen Laurence Bergreen is also the author of “Columbus: The Four Voyages” I mentioned above. I have his Magellan book on my wish list. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/33 "2020-03-05T23:22:46Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Laurence Bergreen is also the author of “Columbus: The Four Voyages” I mentioned above. I have his Magellan book on my wish list. I read the Columbus book, also. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/34 "2020-03-06T00:05:10Z")
If you want something a little different I would recommend: _What If?: The World’s Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been_ _What If? II: Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been_ Both by Robert Cowley. They are **not** short stories; they are a collection of essays by historians speculating what might have happened if certain historical events had turned out differently. If you want something a lot different there is: _The Gods of Eden_ by William Bramley-----It’s a very bizarre book in which the author postulates how extraterrestrials helped create modern man, create all of the world’s major religions, and has been manipulate humanity behind the scenes since ancient times. Unlike some conspiracy works(like those by David Icke whose work i would **NOT** recommend) it actually is fairly simply written and easy to understand. I don’t believe a word of it but it was entertaining to read. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/35 "2020-03-06T01:06:39Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > …I go through phases of reading about adventurers single handing (or with a mate) around the world in sail boats. Fascinating stuff. > > The best of this type of book I have ever read is a helicopter pilots account of his time flying Slicks (Hueys) in the Vietnam War. ‘Chickenhawk’ by Robert Mason. I’ve read it three times. Absolutely gripping, and lots of first hand accounts of the crazy shit that comes with a crazy war. You’ve read, Godforsaken Sea, right? Nice story about a running of the Vendee Globe solo circumnavigation race. Lots of description about the weather, waves, crazy expensive yachts, and lack of sleep. Tony Horwitz’s, “Blue Latitudes”, about retracing Captain Cook’s voyages, was a fun little read. Chickenhawk was great. I need to read Low Level Hell, about Loach pilots, one of these days. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/36 "2020-03-06T02:11:12Z")
BTW batsto: Thanks for starting this thread. My favorite books to read are history (top of the heap is adventure history), but they have to be “readable”. I’ve read plenty of academic history books, but I like to enjoy what I read. I have now added a bunch to my list. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/37 "2020-03-06T02:41:24Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > BTW batsto: Thanks for starting this thread. My favorite books to read are history (top of the heap is adventure history), but they have to be “readable”. I’ve read plenty of academic history books, but I like to enjoy what I read. I have now added a bunch to my list. Exactly the same for me. I have also read a lot of academic history books, and though I like the information, I tend to forget them quickly. If the incidents are told in a lively, capturing manner, the details just stick automatically. I have at least put five books of this thread on my amazon wish list, and I will read them. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/38 "2020-03-06T14:59:02Z")
Thanks everyone…I’ve requested a bunch of these from my library, so we’ll see which one comes in first. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/39 "2020-03-06T15:49:59Z")
Which ones? ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871/40 "2020-03-06T22:50:41Z")
They had these two available right away Charlatan : America’s most dangerous huckster, the man who pursued him, and the age of flimflam The secret token : myth, obsession, and the search for the lost colony of Roanoke So I’ll be picking them up tomorrow and keeping most of the other recommendations in a list to look for when I get close to finishing those. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-some-new-history-books-to-read/848871.md?page=3)