Good history books?

[gisb0rne]

I'm looking for some recommendations for history books that are fairly readable. What I like most is seeing how various events affected future events. A history of technology would also be interesting, to see how a series of small advances eventually led to something big.

[buriedbeds]

My favorite's Freedom From Fear by David Kennedy. It's a tome, but it's a really good history of one of the most turbulent eras in human history.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195144...0248648?ie=UTF8

-bb.

[bisonbison]

Newjack - Ted Conover (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/037...e&n=283155)

Reporter works for a year as a guard in Sing Sing. Interesting as anything if you're at all interested in crime & punishment.

Bury the Chains - Adam Rothschild (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/061...481707?ie=UTF8)

Very intelligent and readable history of the British groups that led to the abolition of the international slave trade.

[incognito]

Cartoon History of the Universe I
Cartoon History of the Universe II
Cartoon History of the Universe III

Seriously. He also has a modern history one, a history of the US one, a book on genetics. Really entertaining, and he lists his references. So if you're nervous about quoting a comic book, you can look it up in a more conventional source.

[wet work]

The History of Salt.
The History of Tobacco.

I read these two a couple of years ago and they were pretty interesting.

[incognito]

Salt: A World History? good book.

Along the same lines: Guns, Germs and Steel. Even if you don't accept the conclusions he draws, the history that is the meat of his argument is very cool.