Discuss good narrative history books on any subject.>1776 is a nonfiction historical account written by David McCullough and published in 2005 by Simon & Schuster, focusing on the military campaigns of the American Revolutionary War during that pivotal year, particularly General George Washington's leadership of the Continental Army against British forces under General William Howe.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77347.1776https://www.audible.com/pd/1776-Audiobook/B002V8KSTW
>>24994136>In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492. Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.
>Why did humans abandon hunting and gathering for sedentary communities dependent on livestock and cereal grains, and governed by precursors of today’s states? Most people believe that plant and animal domestication allowed humans, finally, to settle down and form agricultural villages, towns, and states, which made possible civilization, law, public order, and a presumably secure way of living. But archaeological and historical evidence challenges this narrative. The first agrarian states, says James C. Scott, were born of accumulations of domestications: first fire, then plants, livestock, subjects of the state, captives, and finally women in the patriarchal family—all of which can be viewed as a way of gaining control over reproduction. Scott explores why we avoided sedentism and plow agriculture, the advantages of mobile subsistence, the unforeseeable disease epidemics arising from crowding plants, animals, and grain, and why all early states are based on millets and cereal grains and unfree labor. He also discusses the “barbarians” who long evaded state control, as a way of understanding continuing tension between states and nonsubject peoples.
>Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, Walter Scheidel shows that inequality never dies peacefully. Inequality declines when carnage and disaster strike and increases when peace and stability return. The Great Leveler is the first book to chart the crucial role of violent shocks in reducing inequality over the full sweep of human history around the world. Ever since humans began to farm, herd livestock, and pass on their assets to future generations, economic inequality has been a defining feature of civilization. Over thousands of years, only violent events have significantly lessened inequality. The "Four Horsemen" of leveling—mass-mobilization warfare, transformative revolutions, state collapse, and catastrophic plagues—have repeatedly destroyed the fortunes of the rich. Scheidel identifies and examines these processes, from the crises of the earliest civilizations to the cataclysmic world wars and communist revolutions of the twentieth century. Today, the violence that reduced inequality in the past seems to have diminished, and that is a good thing. But it casts serious doubt on the prospects for a more equal future. An essential contribution to the debate about inequality, The Great Leveler provides important new insights about why inequality is so persistent—and why it is unlikely to decline anytime soon.
>Every economics textbook says the same thing: Money was invented to replace onerous and complicated barter systems—to relieve ancient people from having to haul their goods to market. The problem with this version of history? There’s not a shred of evidence to support it. Here anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom. He shows that for more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods—that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era, Graeber argues, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors. Graeber shows that arguments about debt and debt forgiveness have been at the center of political debates from Italy to China, as well as sparking innumerable insurrections. He also brilliantly demonstrates that the language of the ancient works of law and religion (words like “guilt,” “sin,” and “redemption”) derive in large part from ancient debates about debt, and shape even our most basic ideas of right and wrong. We are still fighting these battles today without knowing it. Debt: The First 5,000 Years is a fascinating chronicle of this little known history—as well as how it has defined human history, and what it means for the credit crisis of the present day and the future of our economy.
Good thread
>In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville's children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress--with so many kids, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes. Patrick Radden Keefe's mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders. Patrick Radden Keefe writes an intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions.
>For two hundred years historians have viewed England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688–1689 as an un-revolutionary revolution―bloodless, consensual, aristocratic, and above all, sensible. In this brilliant new interpretation Steve Pincus refutes this traditional view.>By expanding the interpretive lens to include a broader geographical and chronological frame, Pincus demonstrates that England’s revolution was a European event, that it took place over a number of years, not months, and that it had repercussions in India, North America, the West Indies, and throughout continental Europe. His rich historical narrative, based on masses of new archival research, traces the transformation of English foreign policy, religious culture, and political economy that, he argues, was the intended consequence of the revolutionaries of 1688–1689.>James II developed a modernization program that emphasized centralized control, repression of dissidents, and territorial empire. The revolutionaries, by contrast, took advantage of the new economic possibilities to create a bureaucratic but participatory state. The postrevolutionary English state emphasized its ideological break with the past and envisioned itself as continuing to evolve. All of this, argues Pincus, makes the Glorious Revolution―not the French Revolution―the first truly modern revolution. This wide-ranging book reenvisions the nature of the Glorious Revolution and of revolutions in general, the causes and consequences of commercialization, the nature of liberalism, and ultimately the origins and contours of modernity itself.
>The Little Ice Age tells the story of the turbulent, unpredictable, and often very cold years of modern European history, how this altered climate affected historical events, and what it means for today's global warming. Building on research that has only recently confirmed that the world endured a 500year cold snap, renowned archaeologist Brian Fagan shows how the increasing cold influenced familiar events from Norse exploration to the settlement of North America to the Industrial Revolution. This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in history, climate, and how they interact.
>In this "artful, informative, and delightful" (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed writing, technology, government, and organized religion—as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war—and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history.
>Tony Judt's Postwar makes one lament the overuse of the word "groundbreaking." It is an unprecedented accomplishment: the first truly European history of contemporary Europe, from Lisbon to Leningrad, based on research in six languages, covering thirty-four countries across sixty years in a single integrated narrative, using a great deal of material from newly available sources. Tony Judt has drawn on forty years of reading and writing about modern Europe to create a fully rounded, deep account of the continent's recent past. The book integrates international relations, domestic politics, ideas, social change, economic development, and culture--high and low--into a single grand narrative. Every country has its chance to play the lead, and although the big themes are superbly handled--including the cold war, the love/hate relationship with America, cultural and economic malaise and rebirth, and the myth and reality of unification--none of them is allowed to overshadow the rich pageant that is the whole. Vividly and clearly written for the general reader; witty, opinionated, and full of fresh and surprising stories and asides; visually rich and rewarding, with useful and provocative maps, photos, and cartoons throughout, Postwar is a movable feast for lovers of history and lovers of Europe alike. A magnificent history of postwar Europe, East and West, by arguably the subject's most esteemed historian.
>One of the most enduring and influential of all human institutions, the papacy has also been amongst the most controversial. No one who seeks to make sense of modern issues within Christendom—or, indeed, world history—can neglect the vital shaping role of the popes.In Keepers of the Keys of Heaven, eminent religion scholar Roger Collins offers a masterful account of the entire arc of papal history—from the separation of the Greek and Latin churches to the contemporary controversies that threaten the unity of the one billion-strong worldwide Catholic community. A definitive and accessible guide to what is arguably the world€™s most vaunted office, Keepers of the Keys of Heaven is essential reading for anyone interested in the role of faith in the shaping of our world.
>For nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth - Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia - fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it 'The Great Game', a phrase immortalized in Kipling's Kim. When play first began the two rival empires lay nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles of India. This book tells the story of the Great Game through the exploits of the young officers, both British and Russian, who risked their lives playing it. Disguised as holy men or native horsetraders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence, and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned.
Very inspirational
>>24994364I have to read this
>>24994589Goes in the "humor" thread.
>"The Peloponnesian War" by Donald Kagan is a detailed historical account of the conflict between Athens and Sparta that lasted from 431 to 404 B.C. It explores the causes, events, and consequences of the war, highlighting its significance in ancient Greek history.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/87539.The_Peloponnesian_War
>"Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier" is a nonfiction book by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin that explores the life of Daniel Boone and the violent conflicts between American colonists and Native Americans during the 18th centuryhttps://goodreads.com/book/show/53137966-blood-and-treasure
East of the Sun: The Epic Conquest and Tragic History of Siberia by Benson Bobrick>The history of the vast expanse of land that became the dreaded symbol of Soviet terror details Siberia's great events with portraits of the men and women who created or were crushed by them
>>24997023Looks interesting. I'll be downloading it.
can anyone recommend books on German history? i'd like to learn about the Holy Roman Empire up through the beginning of the Wiemar Republic. i'm having an extremely difficult time understanding what the fuck was going on in Germany in the 19th and early 20th centuries or how a unified German state even came to be, i feel like i need context going way back.
>>24994136It's been many years since I read it but 1776 seemed to do a good job contextualizing Washington. It's popular to see him as a giant or, by some recent fools, a bumbling goof - but this book helped me frame him as an extremely inspirational and determined leader who was good at logistics and keeping a dim ember of a dream alive long enough for it to burn. That was a fun and easy read.
>>24997029lol from where
>>24997029Just downloaded an epub and skimmed it. It looks interesting, but I need to finish Shadow Ticket before I commit.
>>24997653z library you fucking retard.
Reading picrel at the moment and I'm liking it.
>>24998440Oh, that's very nice, very nice indeed, anon. What do you think Jesus would have to say about you calling people on the internet retards and faggots and such?
>>24999306Well, Jesus is a faggot so I don't think he'd care.
>>24999306He would strongly approve, retard.
You really don't know anything about U.S. history until you've read this.
>>24999306I think Jesus said something or other about being cheeky.
Mesoamerican history nerd here, as usual I'll shill "When Montezuma Met Cortes"It's a fascinating historiography and comparison of different accounts (+ their various biases and contradictions) of their meeting and the Cortes expedition/the Fall of the Aztec in general, and how they have been retold and distorted over time and leveraged for different ideological/national interestsPlus, it gets into a lot of the personal as well as political background on both various Spanish and Aztec historical figures: It's one of the better books I've seen to tackle the political dynamics and motives of other Mesoamerican kings and officials like like Xicomecoatl, Ixtlilxochitl II, Xicotencatl II, etc, which is important as very few sources do this despite the fact their actions and motives played as big a part of how events played out as the (more commonly covered) Spanish officials did. This is something I get into myself (including some observations even restall doesn't get into, tho moreso in even longer posts not linked here that me/friends have posted on other sites) here: pastebin.com/h18M28BR and arch.b4k.dev/v/thread/640670498/#640679139 and desuarchive.org/his/thread/16781148/#16781964 and desuarchive.org/k/thread/64434397/#64469714 + the other posts in that one I link and the two directly preceding itI don't agree with absolutely every conclusion Restall makes but it and his prior work "7 Myths of the Spanish Conquest", are pretty much mandatory reading for a decent understanding of the topic just to get an idea of how the different primary sources conflict with each other and skew detailsAlso pic related is WIP reading chart me and some friends are working on. I'll probably end up removing Broken Spears from the Conquest section for Collision of Worlds and/or maybe add a few books on the conquests of West Mexico and the Maya regions since currently this is very Central Mexico/Aztec focused, when in reality there were centuries of campaigns and expeditions against Mesoamerican states in other areas: The last Maya kingdoms didn't fall to 1697If people want more suggestions let me know>>24994326I also second this, though I will say that in reference to the title of "new revelations", 1491 is itself 20 years old now, and Precolumbian Archeology and History advances pretty fast since it's a relatively young field compared to say the study of Classical Antiquity, so it itself is kinda outdated, though honestly even at the time of publication a lot of what it covered wasn't new findings, but rather stuff already well established by researchers but hadn't yet become common knowledge outside of academia... which is still the case today as general publication and knowledge of the Precolumbian Americas is still terrible, sadlyLike with Restall there's also some things that come off a bit preachy, Mann also overstates a few things, but overall it's a great overview of how the Americas had more shit going on then most people realize
>>24994136Good economic histories with a heavy emphasis on numismatics?
>>25000342Military histories are fine too
>>25000583
Twelve Against the GodsGuns of August(were also recommended by Elon Musk some time ago)
>>25000630Something about Tuchman's writing puts me off.
>>25000342
>>25000342Here you go
>>25000583Strategy: A History, by Lawrence Freedman
>>24999903>which is still the case today as general publication and knowledge of the Precolumbian Americas is still terrible, sadlyWhoops, this was meant to say>which is still the case today as general public knowledge of the Precolumbian Americas is still terrible, sadly
>>24994355Bunch of liberal shit.
>>25000724Read it already >>25000726Will do>>25001093Have it, will do
>>24999463>losers are virtuousyawn
>>25001093That's a more general strategy book, including business strategies, etc.
