History books

[Trenitay]

Im looking for an interesting, good book to read. Has to have some historical value. Thanks for any reccomendations.

[Aram]

Define "historical value."

[Gorth]

"History" is a pretty broad definition

 

Ancient history, Chinese history, military history, socio-economic history, religious history, recent world history, forum history?...

[Trenitay]

Alright, it can cover anything in History from Alexander the Great to the Great Depression and anything in between. It can be fiction or non-fiction as long as it is accurate or can teach you something about History. Some examples I cant use are Ivanhoe, A stillness at Appomattox, the Grapes of wrath, or A peoples History of the United States. I can also use autobiography's.

[Guard Dog]

The Killer Angels by Jeff Sharra

[Aristes]

Founding Brothers (Joseph J Ellis)

 

John Adams (Page Smith) & (David McCullough)

 

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (The History) (Gibbon)

 

The History (Herodotus)

 

History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)

 

War Letters (can't remember the eidtor, but the letters are all recorded, colloquialisms, typos, misspellings and all)

 

A History of the English-Speaking Peoples (Winston Churchill)

 

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (William L. Shirer)

 

This is a good list. Keep in mind that all histories are written from the peculiar perspective of the historian. For example, like most Christians, I take issue with Gibbons on several points, but it's an important work by an excellent scholar.

[Gorth]

Gaius Suetonius Tranquilius: "De Vita Caesarum"

 

Gerd von Rundstedt: "Lost Victories"

 

Thucydides: "The History of the Peolponnesian War"

 

Barbara W. Tucman: "The Guns of August"

 

Meh, lots available...

[Hurlshort]

Anything by Bernard Cornwell is pretty great historical fiction.

[Calax]

Three Kingdoms Attributed to Luo Guangzhong (I think thats how to spell his name) Also goes by Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Try for the Moss Roberts translation.

 

It's somewhat accurate but does throw in a few fictional stories (fortunatly they left out the story of Zhang Yun being killed by being poked by his wifes needle)

[Aristes]

If you like Asian literature, I would suggest 'The Sea and Poison' by Shusako Endo. It's relatively recent history (WWII), but it's a gripping tale.

[Walsingham]

Simple: The Psychology of Military Incompetence by Norman F. Dixon. It's funny, informative, historical, and scientific. Scoff it down.

 

Failing that The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody.