I am ignorant about history... can anyone recommend some good books?

[XemaSab]

I am particularly interested in American history before World War II, or history of any other part of the world. Biographies would be good too.

I am currently reading 1776, and I am stricken by how ignorant I am about the events, people, and places surrounding the revolution. (Thank you, republicans, for making history class a HUGE waste of time.) It's a good book so far, so something else in this line would be great.

Thanks! :hi:

[Lerkfish]

1. a book I read as a child "the Northwest Passage" is historical fiction, but

it contains a lot of authentic info from the time period, IIRC

[Clovis Sangrail]

2. start with A People's History of the United States by Zinn

good book to get an overview

[readmoreoften]

3. agreed.

[XemaSab]

5. Read that one... it was good, but I feel like I didn't have the context to fully appreciate it

:shrug:

[Clovis Sangrail]

10. use the footnotes to dig deeper into specific areas

Zinn does a good job sourcing his information

[Dennis Donovan]

4. Anything by Robert Caro is a good start...

:thumbsup:

[Donnachaidh]

6. Lies My Teacher Told me by James W. Loewen

GREAt book - will make your blood boil when you see just how MUCH was left out of the textbooks they teach in high schools to this day. It's a MUST read.

[Midlodemocrat]

7. Jeez. Not sure where to start.

A lot of biographies are fantastic. John Adams, etc.

Additionally, knowing your political bent, (freeper) if you went to your neighborhood Barnes and Noble, you could easily discern which books were of interest to you.

[XemaSab]

17. Are you calling me a freeper?

:rofl:

[Midlodemocrat]

20. Did I say that? Must be the triscuits talking.

[XemaSab]

22. .

:P

[readmoreoften]

8. You might want to consider documentaries as a good way to get a general background quick.

Most are in 20th century history, though. "Guns, Germs, and Steel" is an excellent one, however and it goes to the earliest moments of various cultures.

[BlueManDude]

9. "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin really is a terrific book

about Lincoln and his cabinet. It is particularly timely given we have a new president assembling his own team.

I'm not a fan of DKG but still this is a great book.

[TygrBright]

11. Pretty much anything by Barbara Tuchman or David McCullough. n/t

[Captain Hilts]

28. They write HUGE books that might bury a newcomer.

Though McCullough's have gotten bigger as he's gotten older.

[Greyhound]

12. "A People's History of the United States" - Howard Zinn

Absolutely required reading, should be read in elementary school.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

13. Stewart H Holbrook

Reprinted a few years back: Wild Men, Wobblies, and Whistle Punks: Stewart Holbrook's Lowbrow Northwest.

Holbrook was a reporter for the Oregonian back in the 40s-50s. A great deal of his work revolves around the Pacific Northwest, but he also wrote about national issues, with an eye for the real rip-roaring personalities. Great history, accessible reading, and a lot of fun.

Some titles:
Holy Old Mackinaw (a history of logging in America)
The Age of the Moguls (illuminating accounts of America's robber barons and monopolists--especially important to read when thinking about current financial industry woes)
The Story of America's Railroads (also extremely interesting in light of modern events)
Rocky Mountain Revolution (Unions vs corporations)
The Old Post Road (a history of the famous path)

Holbrook was a Republican, but that meant something entirely different then. I find one of the most accessible parts of his writing is his sincere devotion to the hard-working individual.

[Libertyfirst]

14. "Miracle in Philadelphia" The story of the Writing of the Constitution

is one of the best books available on that topic and is historically accurate. It is also a very excellent read. Other good books on the founding of the nation and its early years include, "The Founding Brothers," and "The Founding Father." All three books are truly great and wonderful reading. Also quite brief. You might also enjoy, "The First New Nation," "The Sacred Flame of Liberty" a life James Madison, and "The Indispensable Man," a life of Washington.

[Captain Hilts]

29. I also was going to recommend "Miracle in Philadelphia." Good, but easy read. nt

[NV Whino]

15. A pretty painless way to learn history

is to read historical fiction. It may sound like cheating, but the good authors do tons of research, then create an interesting fictional story and fit it into the historic framework.

If you find a period or event that interests you, then go read the real, if possibly dry and boring, stuff.

Go to your local library and ask a librarian for recommendations. You will make him or her very happy.

[XemaSab]

19. I have to give a shout-out for the Flashman books

They're rude as hell, funny as hell, and you learn a lot about the times and places. :rofl:

[NV Whino]

21. I'll have to check those out myself.

Thanks.

[alc]

16. lots of biographies

I spent a couple of years on the train to work every day reading biographies of people from 1700-early 1800s. There are LOTS of great ones. You learn about the lifestyle, politics, other leaders, and many other things as you read them and for me it's more interesting than reading a normal "history" book. I'd recommend reading at least 2 biographies of the main players because different biographers cover different things and they often disagree about the things. Hamilton, Adams, and Jefferson would be my first set of recommendations and I'd read 2 of each of those before moving on. I'd read at least Hamilton and Jefferson - their biographers disagree on many points so you realize that our information about them is uncertain and won't just take what you read for fact. Hamilton and Jefferson disagreed on many things and the biographers seemed to take sides as well, which was interesting to me. Franklin, Madison, Washington, and Burr would be next on my list, but I didn't get much out of the second of any of those. "Band Of Brothers" (I think that was the title) was also good, but I'd read it after some biographies so you know more details about the background. Some day I'd like to get around to reading biographies of British, French, and other European leaders of that time - unfortunately I work at home now with 2 kids and don't don't get as much reading done.

[Captain Hilts]

30. Anything about Franklin is a fun read. Hamilton is a bad boy.

John = Hamilton
Paul = Jefferson
George = Washington
Ringo = Franklin

[ozymandius]

18. "Don't Know Much About History" by Kenneth C. Davis

I carry that book with me all the time. Davis has written other history books that are funny, well-researched and, above all, accurate.

[juno jones]

23. You Can't Win: The Autobiography of Jack Black

NOT the Jack Black of current cinema fame, but a muckraking reporter from the turn of the century who recounted his youth in the age of robber barons. Educational read. The 19th century was not nearly as genteel as it's apologists would lead you to you believe.

[XemaSab]

24. 1776 has pretty excellent descriptions of the red-light districts of New York and Boston

New York in 1776 had 20,000 inhabitants, 500 of whom were prostitutes. :o

[juno jones]

25. Funny thing, my kid is reading that book right now.

:). I was cleaning off the dinner table tonight and there it was. Synchronicity!

[YankeyMCC]

26. Here's my list

Definitely "A People's History of the United States", "1775" and "Lies My Teacher Told me" (there is a new edition of that one), "Who Own's History" (a series of essays edited by Eric Foner)

I also recommend.

"The Divided Ground" Alan Taylor
"Mayflower" by Nathaniel Philbrick

"Race and Reunion" David W. Blight

"Uneasy Kingdom" by Rhys Isaac (Gives an excellent view of pre-bellum slave culture in the south)

For Biographies

"John Adams" by McCullough
"Lincoln's Virtues" by William Lee Miller

[YankeyMCC]

27. I'm also going to suggest

"The Histories" by Herodotus and "The Landmark Herodotus: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War", edited by Robert b. Strassler using translation by Richard Crawley

Although your interest in primarily US history I really think these two ancient and very readable works help create a valuable perspective and context for all historical accounts.

[Sabriel]

31. Have you thought about starting with children's and YA non-fic?

It's a good way to get a feel for an issue and then seek out more adult books once you know where your interests lie.

Here are a few:

Lewis Hines
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailBook.asp?idBooks=770

Pullman Porters
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailBook.asp?idBooks=789

Yellow Fever Epidemic
http://www.amazon.com/American-Plague-Terrifying-Epidemic-Newbery/dp/0395776082/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226688822&sr=1-2

Just about anything by Russell Freedman or Jim Murphy. Painstaking, documented research.

[secretoftheoldclock]

"The People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn.

I just started but it covers various important points from the people's perspective, rather than the Europeans'.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Sequoia]

33. Hey, that's a good book.

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, by Nathaniel Philbrick

American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World, by David E. Stannard

Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement and the Bombing that Divided Gilded Age America, by James Green

The Pessimist's Guide to History: An Irresistible Compendium of Catastrophes, Barbarities, Massacres, and Mayhem-from 14 Billion Years Ago to 2007, by Doris Flexner and Stuart Berg Flexner

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, by Erik Larson

Lafayette, by Harlow Giles Unger

Paul Revere's Ride, by David Hackett Fischer

Son of the Morning Star: Custer and The Little Bighorn, by Evan S. Connell

Bear Flag Rising: The Conquest of California, 1846 by Dale L. Walker

Southern Storm: Sherman's March to the Sea, by Noah Andre Trudeau (currently reading)

Tesla: Man Out of Time, by Margaret Cheney

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, by Timothy Egan

I have read all these books and they are all excellent.

[codjh9]

34. The McCullough biography of Adams, and the Isaacson biography of Franklin are both great.

[cobalt1999]

35. The Path between the Seas by McCollough is great too.

The Apollo program of it's time.