Bookclub and Sources Wednesday!

Submitted by AutoModerator t3_109308i in history

Hi everybody,

Welcome to our weekly book recommendation thread!

We have found that a lot of people come to this sub to ask for books about history or sources on certain topics. Others make posts about a book they themselves have read and want to share their thoughts about it with the rest of the sub.

We thought it would be a good idea to try and bundle these posts together a bit. One big weekly post where everybody can ask for books or (re)sources on any historic subject or timeperiod, or to share books they recently discovered or read. Giving opinions or asking about their factuality is encouraged!

Of course it’s not limited to *just* books; podcasts, videos, etc. are also welcome. As a reminder, r/history also has a recommended list of things to [read, listen to or watch](https://www.reddit.com/r/history/wiki/recommendedlist)

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dropbear123 t1_j3xrd53 wrote

Just finished A World Undone: The Story of the Great War 1914-1918 by G.J Meyer (side note - it seems to be difficult to get a cheap copy here in the UK)

>4.75/5 Very good overview of WWI. Long at 700 pages but apart from that accessible. Covers all the important political and military events. No prior knowledge needed. Has brief background chapters for things like biographies or the history of various countries prewar.

Next up and my first non-WWI related book of 2023 The Last Emperor of Mexico: A Disaster in the New World by Edward Shawcross about a Habsburg archduke who was installed as emperor of Mexico by the French in the 1860s.

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elmonoenano t1_j3yqof1 wrote

I listened to a podcast with Shawcross not long ago but when I looked at my normal podcasts for history books it wasn't one of those. I'll try to remember who did it b/c it was interesting.

It was on History Extra: https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/mexico-ill-fated-austrian-emperor-podcast-edward-shawcross/

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you_havin_a_laugh t1_j440os9 wrote

I also recently finished A World Undone. I thought it was a great single-volume history of WWI and I really appreciated the background chapters to give greater context to the whole conflict.

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MDigan21 t1_j46cpx3 wrote

I’m going to be adding this to my list! I’m about halfway through Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914, which is broken up into a few sections, but it largely concerns the political, cultural, social, and military buildups in Europe among the powers (both Great and lesser) and their key decision makers in the years before the war. It sets the stage for what the landscape of Europe was like in June of 1914 when the assassination of Franz Ferdinand takes place. Then it goes into a minute-by-minute account of the July Crisis (haven’t gotten to that yet). I’m loving it so far! Very detailed accounting of events and people. A World Undone would make a great follow up I’m sure!

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Froakiebloke t1_j3wsvo5 wrote

Does anybody have any recommendations for Canadian political history (or Australian, for that matter)? Civilisation VI has introduced me to Wilfrid Laurier and I’d like to know more about the country and that whole era generally, but in the UK Canadian history is totally absent from any mainstream bookshops.

Similarly, does anyone know any good political histories for late c19th European countries, esp. France Germany and Italy? I’m talking about proper high politics, prime ministers and elections etc

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Irichcrusader t1_j4dgfn5 wrote

>Similarly, does anyone know any good political histories for late c19th European countries, esp. France Germany and Italy? I’m talking about proper high politics, prime ministers and elections etc

It's not specifically focused on that period but Diplomacy, by Henry Kissinger has a chapter that goes in great depth on the high politics of that era. Highly recommended.

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afterthesunsets t1_j40dzy1 wrote

Hello, I am looking for books and articles on the First Intifada from the Palestinian perspective - focused on narratives. Any recommendations? Thank you!

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No-Strength-6805 t1_j3xf5ql wrote

On France you have Jonathan Fenbys' book from French Revolution to Terrorism "History of Modern France"

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Irichcrusader t1_j4dimlv wrote

Looking for any book recommendations on the history of China from the First Opium War until the end of the cultural revolution. I'm particularly interested in anything on the political development of China, how it developed a more cohesive national identity, how it modernized, how it adapted to a more expanded world view and the arrival of foreign concepts and ideas.

More specifically, I would love to find more information (be it books, essays or anything at all) on the war lord's period, or really just anything from the revolution of 1911 until the war with Japan. Most of the books I have found on this era are out of print and/or ludicrously overpriced.

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Roderick618 t1_j47y4z3 wrote

Looking for articles that give an overview of the political importance of the papacy during the Middle Ages. Something that touches on great political moments that the papacy had a hand in creating and/or solving with some discussion on how future events were altered as a result of these politics.

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TheM0zart t1_j480d0q wrote

TLDR: LF recommendations for documentaries explaining the US history

I am going to visit the US in summer for the first time. Besides some things from movies, I don't know much about its history. I would like to know more about it in detail. Ideally starting far back in its infancy till today. Something like 8-10 hours of video material in total. Appreciating all recommendations. Also, I dont expect it to be one big documentary but many different ones focusing on certain time eras.

Thanks forward!

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bangdazap t1_j4ccjex wrote

The Killing of America (1981) - doc about violence in America from the 60s to 1981. The real kicker is that it only got worse during the 80 and 90s.

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TheM0zart t1_j4gqgxs wrote

Thank you. I will take a look on it. Though I am looking for something like you could watch in a history class.

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No-Strength-6805 t1_j4gms6m wrote

Most obvious is Ken Burns documentaries ,he has wide collection of of documentaries most all for Public Broadcating Corporation (PBS).

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[deleted] t1_j4vexe8 wrote

I agree with Ken Burns docs if you just want straight facts and timelines.

If you want to read about a snippet of early US...I recommend reading about the Salem witch trials. It really explains a lot about the US. Has to do with greed, mass hysteria and religion. I personally found visiting there to be more educational, but there are many books about it and docs.

But before you read that, I recommend Fantasyland How America went Haywire a 500 hundred year history. It's really a thesis, but I think very interesting and personally I believe it explains a lot about why America is the way it is today.

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NeptuneOW t1_j4nss9a wrote

Anyone know a book focusing on humans during the Stone Age? I'm super interested in that time period, before homo sapiens exsisted.

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saywhar t1_j45yj8n wrote

any book recs on the 19th century in general?

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Irichcrusader t1_j4dh2lj wrote

The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815-1914, by Richard J. Evans

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CH4LOX2 t1_j4c1eey wrote

I am a History undergrad and originally picked the major because I was passionate about the topic. I quickly got caught up with life though and ended up not learning much during my time in university and ultimately ignored my original passion for the subject. Recently through some podcasts and a growing interest in geopolitics, this passion has been somewhat reignited and I'm looking to bolster a broader knowledge of the subject.

I'm looking for book recommendations that are history essentials. Magnum opuses that everyone interested in history should read, both classics and more recent works. Thanks!

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ottolouis t1_j4i2jgw wrote

Can you recommend a book that tells WWII from solely the British perspective?

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Thick-Passenger-308 t1_j4p03fh wrote

i dont know about any books that cover the war from that perspective start to finish, but there are plenty of great books about individual events. I personally am a fan of "The forgotten Army" by James Fenton and "Pegasus Bridge" by Stephen E. Ambrose.

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dropbear123 t1_j4rcokh wrote

Wartime Britain 1939-45 by Juliet Gardiner is good for the British home front. Can't think of anything for the British military perspective.

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SUBLALBUS t1_j4i3sch wrote

I'm writing an essay about transparency and reform, and I want to use the Congo Free State as an example of a time when there was little to no transparency about what was going on, and how that changed (albeit slowly) when people gained knowledge about what was happening. As we learned it in school, though local Congolese did rebel against Leopold, they were usually swiftly and brutally crushed, and real change finally came when the Congo Reform Association helped leak what was happening to the outside world. Then, international and public pressure caused Leopold to reluctantly relinquish control. I would love to read a more in-depth account of what happened! Thank you all in advance!

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LRembold t1_j4mo31a wrote

Looking for sources on the All Russian Military Union (ROVs) in South America. Cant seem to find anything on English Portuguese or Spanish about their activities

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