#Good russian collection books how to#

Now we’re getting deep into the classics. Here, Tuchman looks at the month leading up to the tragic conflict, unraveling its numerous strands and relating the day-to-day developments with clarity and intensity, unlike any book that proceeds it. If World War II had obvious enemies and causes, the origins of the so-called “war to end all wars” were much more obscure. Here, the renowned Senegalese historian Cheikh Anta Diop takes readers into the histories of many overlooked African civilizations, illuminating not only their histories, but how they played a key role in the development of the world as we know it today.įew events have changed the course of world history as distinctly as World War I, and few people have a clear idea of why and how the war got started in the first place. Accordingly, they end up with a very one-sided look at the continent’s past. When it comes to the history of Africa, the vast majority of “western” readers receive information solely from “western” historians. Precolonial Black Africa by Cheikh Anta Diop In this book, Mann not only dispels the myth of Columbus’s discovery, but details the various civilizations residing in North, Central, and South America, explaining their customs and cultures, providing a glimpse into a lost way of life, and reminding us that - for better or worse - history tends to be told by the victors rather than the vanquished. This, of course, is an accurate depiction of history only if you’re willing to ignore the millions of people who were already living in complex societies when he got there. This should arguably be your first book if you’re making your initial forays into history.Īs we all know from the schoolroom rhyme, in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Initially criticized for its “dangerous relativism,” the book is now considered foundational to the field thanks to its explanation of how perspective and bias can affect the way we interpret historical events.

#Good russian collection books how to#

More Books to ReadĪn outlier on this list in that it doesn’t look at any specific period or event in history, Carr’s book is nevertheless essential reading in that it teaches you how to read and understand history. Our top picks stretch across time and the globe, but you can see many of our favorites are about Western civilization, recent history, and the United States. To that end and without further ado, here are a few history books that belong on any amateur historian’s shelves. It is, however, fairly easy to determine the greats that should be included in any true history buff’s reading list. What is considered the best by someone born in raised in Los Angeles, for example, is likely very different from someone raised in Tokyo. In the case of the best history books ever written, best is a highly subjective distinction that depends on your perspective. While best is an easy word to throw around, it’s harder to pin down. The Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson.Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson.Over the Edge of the World by Laurence Bergreen.A World Lit Only by Fire by William Manchester.Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.The History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer.A History of the Twentieth Century by Martin Gilbert.The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thcydides.

This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan.Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back by Janice P.Precolonial Black Africa by Cheikh Anta Diop.What Is History? by Edward Hallett Carr.