Good comprehensive history books

[HedonismBot]

Over the summer I'd like to learn some history, does anyone have any strong recommendations? Not something too expansive or too specific, i.e. no "Complete US History" or "Andrew Jacksons 1st term." Just googling THIS looked interesting but would like to hear some more ideas, some non-US history would be great. Thanks

[Mingdu]

Guns, Germs and Steel

First published in the United States by W.W.Norton and Company, on March 1 1997, Guns, Germs and Steel was initially subtitled ‘The Fates of Human Societies.’ Within a few months, this subtitle had evolved into ‘A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years.’

[Mingdu]

WW2

Churchill's six volume "History of the Second World War" is an awesome read.

[Tigermoth]

The March of Folly by Barbara Tuchman.

From Amazon: Twice a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author Barbara Tuchman now tackles the pervasive presence of folly in governments through the ages. Defining folly as the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interersts, despite the availability of feasible alternatives, Tuchman details four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of folly in government: the Trojan War, the breakup of the Holy See provoked by the Renaissance Popes, the loss of the American colonies by Britain's George III, and the United States' persistent folly in Vietnam. THE MARCH OF FOLLY brings the people, places, and events of history magnificently alive for today's reader.


A great book when I read it about 10 years ago, it's even more relevant today.

Guns, Germs, and Steel is also an excellent recommendation.

[kerowo]

I really liked The Pencil which may be a bit too specific for you but covers a lot of ground in discussing one of the most ubiquitous of everyday objects.

[Mingdu]

US History .... Shelby Foote wrote a 3 volume set on the US Civil war .... very readable

[MrMon]

A World At Arms

Although I wouldn't recommend this as an intro to WWII, for anyone with a pretty good knowledge of the battles, this is THE single volume work on what happened and why from a strategic viewpoint. There is a lot of new scholarship in this book, even though it's 10 years old now. For instance, Chamberlain comes out looking much better at Munich based on this book, subsequent declassified British intel records show why, although public perception of him hasn't caught up.

I hope they include Weinberg in list of experts for the upcoming Ken Burns series on WWII, he's not exactly a thrilling speaker, but he certainly knows what he's talking about.

[mephisto]

"A problem from Hell" America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power. It received the pulitzer prize in 2002-2003. Really comprehensive book about American political reactions/inaction during previous genocides. Really excellent read.