General history - for those wanting to have a broader overview and have not found their specialism yet (it is by no means an exhaustive list) You can borrow copies of all of these books (except Empires of the World by Nicholas Ostler) from HU1 on a monthly basis. The book will appear it bold if it is on loan.
Any book with an * is available for loan for a month.
General history - for those wanting to have a broader overview and have not found their specialism yet (it is by no means an exhaustive list) You can borrow copies of all of these books from HU1 on a monthly basis. The book will appear it bold if it is on loan.
*The Human Past by Chris Scarre (ed.): A very readable overview of all of human history from an archaeological perspective. It's very detailed, and used as an introductory book in many universities. It is still updated. I found a copy on ebay for under £5.00
*A History of the World in 100 objects by Neil MacGregor: Encompassing a grand sweep of human history, A History of the World in 100 Objects begins with one of the earliest surviving objects made by human hands, a chopping tool from the Olduvai gorge in Africa, and ends with objects which characterise the world we live in today. You can see many of the items that MacGreogr studies in the British Museum, see the Places to visit page for more information.
*How Humans Evolved by Boyd and Silk: Everything is also discussed by The Human Past, but Boyd and Silk have slightly different opinions and reading both keeps you updated not only on 'how it was' but most importantly what the current debate is and what arguments are used. Also very readable and almost compulsory for everyone into 'evolutionary anything'.
*Why the West Rules, for Now by Ian Morris: An excellent overview of both Western and Eastern history. Morris combines a readable style and an ability to explain historical concepts in an easy manner with a historian's rigor. An excellent introduction to the topic of historical studies.
*A History of Western Society by McKay, Hill and others, 2016: A good overview, picks up where The Human Past left off (with an overlap in antiquity) and provides the historical, rather than archaeological, perspective. Very readable, and though it's a textbook and thus most suitable for students (with plenty of 'summaries' and lists of important key words), I'd still recommend it to people who are interested in history without having access to the formal education (and to archaeologists who only study prehistory!).
*A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich. It is essentially a summary of human history to around the 1930s. I read this when I was younger - it's aimed perfectly at interested children, and manages to be accessible and entertaining without being condescending.
*Cities by John Reader. A social history of the development of cities - particularly good chapters on the Renaissance and Mexico City stick in my mind.
*Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester. It's a very interesting history of the Atlantic Ocean, and particularly of the relationship between Britain and the Americas. It is somewhat similar to Kurlansky and Bryson's work but still enjoyable. Winchester has also written a book on the invention of the dictionary - I haven't read it but it's supposed to be excellent.
*The Mediterranean in the Time of Philip the Second (Vol. 1) (Vol. 2) by Fernand Braudel. Possibly the most important work of history of the 20th cen. I probably wouldn't argue this, but my point is the case can and has been made. It's a major major work -- and tremendously written. When we talk about Jared Diamond, we're talking about big, long, slow processes as determining the shape of history. That's Braudel, in a nutshell--except he tried to deal with everything from trade, warfare, religion, urbanism, naval technology, culture, individual agency, etc. He may not have succeeded in explaining everything, but he literally changed the game in France in the 1950s and 60s (and 70s in America, when his work was translated into English).
Empires of the Word by Nicholas Ostler. A great work of general world history for the general public. Exploring history through the lens of languages give a new perspective on many eras. As a bonus, a historian's work is often based around reading primary sources - knowing why the primary sources are in a particular language helps you appreciate them all the more. A little more of the pricey side at £16.99
*The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan. This is an excellent book which focuses on the history of the Middle East and how the trade routes established between east and west also paved the way for new religions, conflict and colonisation.