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Abu Dave posted:Basically a overview similiar to how A World Undone does it; Chronologically I guess including the events leading up. Don't mind if it's several books, I don't like books that get too into technicals though about weapons and such. This might be a impossible request considering the source material hah. Well, I suppose one of the classics is A.J.P Taylor's The Origins of the Second World War. It is a little dated at this point, however and it certainly controversial. His thesis has drawn a lot of criticism over the years and is generally considered false at this point. Richard Overy is an alternative.
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Sep 27, 2014 01:18
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Seams posted:Taylor's analysis of the origins of WWII is definitely out of fashion these days but I wouldn't call it false. It has it's merits as one of the first major works in English which tried to move away from the Hitler-centric viewpoint that had dominated scholarship up until then The impression I've gotten from the current scholarship is that Taylor's thesis is generally considered to be false as a stand alone. But it is worth reading because both yourself and Cyrano have mentioned, it's important to get a handle on the general scholarship on a topic in the order that it's been published. A good example would be books regarding the First World War--in order to really get a handle on the topic, you have to read Fischer and understand his thesis and the controversy it stirred up. And, also, with historical works, always, always, always read the preface/introduction/forward to get a handle on the author's methodology and focus.
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Sep 28, 2014 04:08
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Red Suit posted:I also posted this request in the SAL book recommendation thread, but what should I read if I want the history of Christianity up to around the late middle ages? I always liked "The Story of Christianity" by Justo Gonzalez. It's a short two volume work. Volume one goes to the Reformation.
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Jul 20, 2016 17:29
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Are there any good books out there that give a general history of the black death?
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Aug 27, 2016 02:30
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FingersMaloy posted:Is Gibbon's Decline and Fall... worth reading or is it a more a piece of history itself? Has it been eclipsed by modern scholarship? I read the abridged version and I enjoyed it immensely. It's a challenging work that is both entertaining and serves as a good example of how historiography has evolved over the centuries. He also does some things that were novel for the time like evaluating the veracity of his sources. However, it has been eclipsed by modern scholarship. I recommend it heartily though--just remember that you may want to take a look at a timeline on wiki or something so you know what's stood the test of time and what hasn't. There are some critiques of the book around as well that may be useful.
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Sep 24, 2016 19:24
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FingersMaloy posted:Thanks for your replies, goons. Are you going to try the full six volumes or the abridged version?
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Sep 25, 2016 20:34
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Count Roland posted:Hi. I apologize for not reading the whole thread, but I'm looking for books anyway. The Vanquished by Robert Gerwarth is a good book on the aftermath of the first world war. The Dark Valley by Piers Brendon is a survey of the 1930s in several countries that were major players at the time. I second Paxton's Anatomy of Fascism.
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Jan 24, 2017 22:01
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ChickenHeart posted:Help my dad wants to read BESTSELLING IMPARTIAL HISTORY BOOK Killing The Rising Sun and all I have to dissuade him from it are a bunch of TIME-LIFE WW2 texts! Sorry if this topic already came up. Retribution by Max Hastings. It doesn't just focus on the US though. There's also Downfall by Richard Frank which I've heard good things about. I've only read Retribution though so I can't vouch for Downfall.
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Feb 26, 2017 04:14
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The Power Broker is one of my favorite books; especially since I live in the New York City area and am interested in urban planning.
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Mar 8, 2017 03:28
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A quick question for the thread: are each of Perlstein's books considered stand-alone? Do I have to read the Goldwater book if I want to read Nixonland, for instance?
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Mar 11, 2017 22:34
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Anatomy of a Dictatorship by Mary Fulbrook.
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May 20, 2017 15:11
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Fledgling Gulps posted:Interesting! I barely know the subject let alone the historiography and prominent authors etc. Would you recommend any book as a counter balance to Citizens? I bought Liberty or Death by Peter McPhee when I was going through the same French Revolution book hunt you were. I haven't read it yet though. Take a look and see. Also of note: the Revolutions podcast did a series on the French Revolution. You can listen to it or check out his sources section for ideas.
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Jul 2, 2017 23:05
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navyjack posted:Maybe he's interested in why they don't like the Rom and wants an unbiased look at a subject he doesn't know about. That's what I figured. I personally haven't found any good books on the topic, sadly.
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Jul 9, 2017 23:39
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navyjack posted:Oh, cool! I'll have to check that one out! I can third this recommendation. I have it on my shelf and while it's a very general history, it's a good introduction which is exactly what I needed given that my knowledge of China was so lacking. Keay also tries to counteract the tendency of general histories to get more and more detailed as the timeline closes in on the present so the parts on ancient China make up a good chunk of the book.
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Jul 15, 2017 01:33
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Mira posted:Can any of you recommend some books that cover the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution? I second Dikotter's two books. They seem to be the most up-to-date works.
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Sep 9, 2017 20:47
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I think this should cover the topic well enough.
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Sep 11, 2017 03:01
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Can anyone recommend a book that discusses the various schools of historical thought? I'm looking for an overview of how historiography and different schools of thought have changed over time.
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Sep 13, 2017 19:25
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I had this from one of my introductory undergrad courses. Revisiting it recently just made me think I needed something more in-depth.
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Sep 15, 2017 03:54
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All of McMeekin's books have been received negatively by historians. He has some weird biases against Russia in general and is specifically pro-Turkey.
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Jan 15, 2018 16:48
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How is his book any different than The Wizards of Armageddon?
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Mar 8, 2018 01:38
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Is there any good history of the Incas out there?
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Mar 18, 2018 01:07
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I'll second that.
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Apr 18, 2018 20:34
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CountFosco posted:I remember quite liking this book about Ancient Egypt: I recommend this. It's one of my favorite books.
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May 22, 2018 15:04
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Are there any good books out there about combat aviation and pilots during the first world war? My grandparents gave me a copy of The Canvas Falcons when I was 6 and between that and playing Red Baron I was in heaven that summer. I was thinking of rereading it, but apparently it's an awful, ahistorical work. Any suggestions?
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May 27, 2018 16:46
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SgtScruffy posted:This is tangentially related to history books - but I'm looking to learn a bit more about the French Revolution and French History, and I've seen a number of posts that recommend the Revolutions podcast. He seems to be going chronologically with the revolutions. I think the 1.xx are English, 2.xx American, 3.xx French, 4.xx Haitian, etc.
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Jun 17, 2018 23:50
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I second Mazower's Dark Continent and I'll add Piers Brendon's The Dark Valley about the 1930s.
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Jun 21, 2018 00:36
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That's the point, I think. I like listening while I run. I've gotten my girlfriend interested in history because of his Mongols series. I'll read better and more critical history on my own, so I don't need or expect top-notch scholarship from him.
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Jul 21, 2018 17:44
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FelicityGS posted:I was sent over here by the SAL book recommendations thread. I'm looking for a decent English language overview of Korean history, if anyone happens to know of one. Thanks! Bruce Cummings' Korea's Place in the Sun.
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Aug 31, 2018 01:36
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I haven't checked this thread in a while because apparently you're all wonderful people who never use the report button Do you want a book recommendation? You can either go with "A People's Tragedy" by Figes or the older, more conservative take by Richard Pipes.
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Sep 8, 2018 22:03
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vyelkin posted:Don't read Pipes, it's polemical garbage. Yeah, I'm not a fan. But it's not an awful book assuming you go in understanding the bias.
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Sep 9, 2018 01:50
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Dapper_Swindler posted:yeah pretty much. i took a bunch of nazi/holocaust classes in college(just graduated) and most of the teachers called him a simplistic moron(in the best times, i heard one call him a "loving idiot") i am kinda of synthesis type between the Functionalism versus intentionalism camps. also browning's book Ordinary Men was more about a resever police unit that basicaly did a ton of shootings and how most of them wernt even die hard nazis and just did it because group mentality and because "dirty job" stuff. You're spot on--but I'm biased because I fall into the synthesis camp as well. Having read both books, I recommend Browning's. The new edition of the book also has an afterword that addresses Goldhagen.
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Sep 11, 2018 21:23
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Is there a good or standard biography of the Emperor Justinian? I normally don't do biographies, but I'm interested.
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Oct 3, 2018 17:19
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Idaholy Roller posted:I’d like a big juicy book on the French Revolution if anyone has a recommendation. Realised I know pretty much nothing about it. I recently read and enjoyed Peter McPhee's Liberty or Death. However, I believe that the standard popular work is Simon Schama's Citizens.
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Oct 14, 2018 19:33
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Ras Het posted:Wow sorry I didn't mean to post that in the Democratic Party Convention subforum. Can you recommend books about how credit cards are good instead You're surprised you got called out in the history book thread for asking for a hagiography of mass murder?
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Oct 31, 2018 13:09
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Ras Het posted:If you believe that the events that gave birth to the entire liberal/left/republican/socialist paradigm that most of the planet is bound to can be reduced to "mass murder", fine. And you might well be right, but nevertheless, I don't want to read your book on them I recommended two books above. I'm unsure of what I've said to have you believe I'm reducing anything to mass murder. I'm simply commenting on your request for a book that treats an event's 'warts' sympathetically knowing that it involves mass bloodshed on all sides. One can be sympathetic to a cause without requesting to be spared from having to think critically about atrocity.
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Oct 31, 2018 16:23
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Mantis42 posted:Yea kind of like what happened to millions of people during the murderous world war European nobility started. Or what serfs endured for a millenia. Yes. Human suffering is bad.
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Nov 19, 2018 02:27
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Is Figes' book still the default to read on the Russian revolution? I recently read Peter Holquist's "Making War, Forging Revolution" and I'd like to refresh my knowledge of the revolution.
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Nov 20, 2018 19:56
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vyelkin posted:Figes's book is okay but he's kind of an unreliable weirdo which nobody knew when he wrote that book but everybody knows now, so a lot of people have stopped using his stuff as much. I've been a little wary of Figes since the revelations about his Amazon review habits came to light. He didn't seem--as you say--reliable. I'll take a look at what you've listed here. Thank you.
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Nov 22, 2018 00:02
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I enjoyed The Whisperers. I got it when it came out and have it still in hardcover. That's insanely disappointing. Is there some other book that does the topic?
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Dec 3, 2018 16:24
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I've read Magentic Mountain and I enjoyed it. I'll check out the others.
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Dec 3, 2018 16:51
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