lit/21907813.txt

-----
--- 21907813
Post your best or favorite historical reads/recommendations.
--- 21907820
>>21907813 (OP)
What are some other great reads for understanding the Middle Ages? t. American who didn’t learn anything between 33AD-1776AD in school
--- 21907838
>>21907813 (OP)
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
--- 21907853
>>21907820
Georges Duby - The Three Orders
--- 21907877
>>21907820
Depends what era you're looking for. The Middle Ages are generally split up into three periods. The time frame you listed also covers a few additional points of interest that can be just as fascinating.
>Late Antiquity
>Early/High/Late Middle Ages
>Renaissance/Age of Discovery
>Early Modern Age/Pre-Industrialization/Age of Sail
--- 21907898
>>21907820
Marc Bloch, Feudal Society 
OP pic related
Henri Pirenne if you want social economic structural overviews 
Lots of stuff on this website: 
https://www.heritage-history.com/index.php?c=resources&s=info&f=christian_europe

They have a ton of digitized classic books that are great for short overviews
--- 21907917
>>21907813 (OP)
The Power Broker by Robert Caro about Robert Moses
--- 21907921
>>21907813 (OP)
Middle Ages:
Arthur Rex by Thos. Berger
Connecticut Yankee by Mark Twain
19th cent:
The Flashman books
Occultism/Magic(k)al realism:
Masks of the Illuminati by Robert Anton Wilson
The Spirit Phone by Arthur Shattuck O'Keefe
--- 21907930
>>21907813 (OP)
--- 21907940
>>21907820
Le Goff
--- 21908176
>>21907813 (OP)
Yamasee war by I forgot who but title goes like that. Its a pretty nice book if you care about the history of the carolinas. It even includes a primary source by the indians.
--- 21908281
>>21907813 (OP)
Does The Pilgrim's Progress count for medieval? If so, that one.
--- 21908611
>>21907820
Evolution of Thought in the Middle Ages
Shortest History of Europe
Or just drive into the Western Canon to see what blew their hair back.
In Praise of Folly.
Canterbury Tales, while going through DTs and having spent every last dime.
--- 21910225
Bump
--- 21910245
I am reading this atm
It's pretty good but the reviews say it's bad so I'm not really sure yet
I tried reading the Cambridge History of Russia but it was a bit much
--- 21910269
>>21907813 (OP)
What are some good books on tsarist russia?
--- 21910275
>>21907820
--- 21910287
>>21910269
Oh man I'm doing my research on that right now
I have a book called A History of Russia by Riasanovsky which is good although it's more of a thematic history along chronological lines so it might be missing some of the details
You could read the Robert K Massie biographies of Peter, Catherine and Nicholas/Alexandra 
I've read the one on Peter and Nicholas/Alexandra and you really get a good sense of that world
There's the Cambridge History of Russia Volume 2: Imperial Russia, 1689–1917
The problem is that it's not really chronological, it's just essays grouped together 
Another book I have on my list is Russia Against Napoleon but that's more military history
--- 21910289
>>21910269
Kino cover and would also recommend Lord and Peasant in Russia from the Ninth to the Nineteenth Century by Jerome Blum
--- 21910298
>>21910289
Not that anon but thanks, I'll look into them
--- 21910299
>>21910269
the Death of Ivan Ilych is a great novella, and gives some accounts on the bureucracy, culture and social dynamics in late tsarist russia. Of course, it is literature rather than a stictly historical book.
>filename Iván el Terrible
Ñ?
--- 21910443
Any recommendations for ancient Rome? Republic and/or empire?
--- 21910466
>>21910287
>>21910289
>>21910299
Thank you anons
No, it was just a Google result
--- 21911383
>>21907813 (OP)
The Ancien Régime and the Revolution
--- 21911421
>>21910786
Nice, I‘m thinking of getting either the Goebbels or Göring book after I finish Hitler‘s War
--- 21912070
An amazing account of the Eastern Front.
--- 21912113
>>21907877
Yeah, I know that there’s more than just the Middle Ages between those points in time. I was just trying to illustrate how poor my education in history was outside of purely American history and biblical history. 
>>21907898
>>21907940
>>21907853
>>21908611
>>21910275
Thanks fellas
--- 21912199
This book was an eye opener for me in supporting some form of protectionist social corporatism. One does not need to hate Jews to admire the brilliance of the National Socialist reform of the 1930s. If Germany had managed to stay at peace it would have ruled the world.
--- 21912219
MacCuckloch is a great narrative historian and I enjoyed his History of Christianity and am currently enjoying his The Reformation. I’m trying to decide whether to continue my dive into Church history with a book on the ecumenical councils and another on the medieval Church, or instead to proceed to The Enlightenment by Richardson for another look at social change in early modern Europe.
--- 21912321
Any good books on the Holy Roman Empire?
--- 21912329
>>21907813 (OP)
--- 21912498
>>21911383
I've read that but don't remember a lick of it
--- 21912821
>>21912321
Frederick the Second by Ernst Kantorowicz is a biography of the Emperor Frederick "Stupor Mundi" (1194-1250), grandson of Frederick Barbarossa. Fantastic book. It was criticized a lot because of its style and partiality to his subject, but lots of serious historians love it. 

For the early modern Holy Roman Empire, The Thirty Years War, by Wedgwood.
--- 21912860
>/his/ has to be hosted on /lit/ because /his/ is nothing but video game addicts mistaking 5 minutes on wikipedia as expertise
--- 21912886
>>21912860
Even the genuine users just direct any book recommendations to this board. Half of /his/ now is just shitting on gods and philosopher du jour.
--- 21912916
>>21907813 (OP)
Everything written by Robert Caro.

We're getting book #5, right?
--- 21913010
>>21912860
it has a huge atheist problem too which makes discussing scripture nigh impossible without some ex-redditor going on about le ebin sky fairy. I decided I'm gonna wait a week before going back.
--- 21914240
Paul Revere And The World He Lived In
--- 21914390
Do any anons know any good books on the Mongol Empire?
--- 21914749
>>21907813 (OP)

la naissance de la noblesse de karl ferdinand werner 
also a really interesting book is From Byzantium to Italy: Greek Studies in the Italian Renaissance by Nigel G wilson
--- 21914777
Help me out here /lit/. Pic related is an excerpt of a mercenary during the Congo war that someone's been posting, but the only information I can find is that the OP claims it's from a book called Someone Else's War (2001) by Anthony Rogers, itself an excerpt from Soldier of Fortune magazine, but the book itself isn't freely available in the usual places and I can't find it in SOF magazine.
--- 21915887
A Savage War of Peace
--- 21915892
>>21907820
huizinga's "the waning of the middle ages" is really fascinating to get into the middle age mind
--- 21915904
since i randomly found this in my bookmarks yesterday maybe some of you will find use in this

https://ryanfb.xyz/loebolus/
--- 21916147
Admiral of the Ocean Sea
--- 21917263
>>21907813 (OP)
Bruce Catton is still my favorite read when it come to the civil war. 

https://www.goodreads.com/series/59994-army-of-the-potomac
--- 21917285
>>21910269
Interested in the topic too, especially in the early parts of it, the change from Muscovy to proper Russia, Ivan the terrible, all that cool shit.
--- 21918014
>>21910269
I really enjoyed The Romanovs: 1613-1918
--- 21918193
>>21910443
The Roman Revolution
--- 21918240
>>21910443
The Twelve Caesars - Suetonius
Augustus - Adrian Goldsworthy
Julius Caesar - Philip Freeman
--- 21918258
>>21914390
Mission to Asia by Christopher Dawson. From an Amazon review:
The first primary source in this volume is John of Plano Carpini's 'History of the Mongols.' John was a 65 year old massively fat Franciscan monk without ANY knowledge of oriental languages. His mission was to spy on the Mongols to see if they were as threatening and powerful as reported and to provide suggestions as to ways to defend against them. His mission was supported by Pope Innocent IV and he set out on the 5,000 miles journey in 1245. John of Plano Carpini met with the Great Khan Guyuk and this text outlines the characters and customs of the Mongols, the food they ate, the roles of men and women, descriptions of their armies, their history, religion, government, clothes, housing, and even accurate accounts of the genealogy of the royal family. The most fascinating part of his account is his description of how to wage war against them. If Christendom wishes to save itself, the army "should be organized in the same way as the Tartar army," it ought to "have scouts in every direction," and "the Christians should also beware of their usual tendency of over-expenditure, lest they be obliged to go home on account of lack of money and the Tartars destroy the whole earth." This Chronicle is easy to read and is the first real contact with the Mongols by the West. It is interspersed with hilarious statements of Western disgust with Mongol customs, "they do not wash their dishes," "they do not wash their clothes," and if a "virgin commits fornication with anyone, they kill BOTH the man and the woman."

The second group of documents are Two Bulls of Pope Innocent IV Addressed to the Emperor of the Tartars. These explain the tenants of the Christian faith and beg the Mongols to be peaceful and to do not harm to the envoys.

The third document is The Narrative of Benedict the Pole. This is a brief relation by John of Plano Carpini's Polish companion dictated by him to a prelate of Cologne upon his return from Asia. It paraphrases the two bulls and provides little to John of Plano Carpini's much longer and more detailed account.

The fourth document is Guyuk Khan's Letter to Pope Innocent IV (1246). The Khan states that he does not understand the Pope's request for him to be peaceful since he has the Mongol God's favor which is the reason the Mongols have already conquered most of Asia. He demands that the Pope "say with a sincere ear" the he will submit and serve him.

The Journey of William of Rubrick is the second main primary source and is even more interesting than John's due to the fact that William of Rubrick voluntarily set out in the employ of the French king to convert the Mongols to Christianity. His account has the "fullest and most authentic information on the Mongol Empire in its pre-Chinese phase that we posses." Brother William's book is a straightforward account of his journey and his personal experiences in full detail...
--- 21918335
>>21907813 (OP)
--- 21918352
>>21915892
I have to read that after Bloch
--- 21918604
>>21910443
--- 21918611
>>21914240
I really like that painting on the cover.
--- 21918776
>>21910289
That's an extremely epic cover
--- 21918819
>>21907813 (OP)
>/History/
>Tuchman
Oh son. Nice joke.

Go read Hammond & Hammond.
--- 21918890
Finished this today. Exceptionally well written, kino the whole way through. Made me want to read more about 19th century china.
--- 21919141
book recs for the socio-cultural effects of the Black Death? any region. or just Black Death books in general
--- 21919149
What are some good books on the Bronze/Iron ages?
--- 21919163
What's the best books on Byzantine history?
--- 21919303
>>21918890
Read Imperial Twilight by Stephen Platt, great narrative history of the lead up to and events of the First Opium War
--- 21919312
>>21919163
Procopius
John Haldon
Anthony Kaldellis
Dumbarton Oaks translations
--- 21919321
>>21919149
Haven't read Making of the Middle Sea yet, but it seems good.
--- 21919330
I’m enjoying microhistory. The book on the medieval court case The Return of Martin Guerre made for one of the best movies set in the era. Reading the book it’s amazing how much of it is real and preserved in documents. The premise is a young married man goes off to war and comes back a long time later quite changed. He greets his wife and their village and seems quite at home. But is it really him? 

Second microhistory book is a swedish SS soldier’s account of the last months of the war leading up to trying to defend Berlin (published as Twilight of the Gods in english). He describes a xmas truce type situation on the eastern front which is rather staggering. After that they start getting stomped over and over. It’s interesting that he describes their morale being kept up with the wunderwaffen promises, what seems like thin propaganda now apparently really worked. Later he’s convinced Himmler is brokering a deal to join forces with the western powers against bolshevism (as in “surely they see the hun will destroy western civilization”). Despite being an unrepentant nazi he’s not delusional about how badly they got beat, and has several stories about insane last minute defenders like one guy who tried erecting a defense line on an open field. Tries to commandeer their already retreating grenade unit and panzer transport, and they fuck off and leave them in the dust. Moments later the entire force is torn to bits by Stalin Organs. 

The Cheese and the Worms is up next.
--- 21919339
>>21919149
I enjoyed this book. Be warned the conclusion to “why” is a limp “lots of reasons as mentioned in this book” rather than something definite (that bothers some people but I think it’s honest given the limitations on what we can know here). You get a good sense of how interconnected the world was during this time period though, massive trade networks from Afghanistan to the british isles, regular mail routes, big sustained shipments going around the Mediterranean Sea and crucial to the empires, advanced enough that they’re starting to insure shipping like you see during the renaissance and age of exploration, education programs and so on. 
Then it all goes to shit. It’s interesting to consider the “what if” of this golden age continuing.
--- 21919365
Any recommendations on historiography?
--- 21920002
Son of the Morning Star
--- 21920238
>>21910269
I recently enjoyed Rural Russia Under the Old Regime by Richard pipes. It’s less than 300 pages and starts with the early foundations of Muscovy, so admittedly it’s not super in-depth on the tsarist era. I found it a good starting point though because due so it’s short length you can get through it quickly and by covering the early history it gives you good context for later
--- 21920244
>>21919330
I was going to recommend Carlo Ginsburg, so I’m glad to see you have cheese and the worms lined up. Hope you like it
--- 21920255
>>21918890
Almost everything by Jonathan Spence is worth reading, he’s basically a legend in every universitys Chinese faculty here in the US
--- 21921221
>>21918611
Based Grant Wood

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Wood
--- 21921377
The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 by Robert Middlekauff
--- 21922393
>>21919141
Ziegler
--- 21922405
>>21907820
Gibbon's Decline and Fall
--- 21922440
>>21921377
Going to get to this one soon
--- 21922792
>>21907820
David Hume's History of England
--- 21922895
Francis Parkman - one of the greatest Americans let alone historian
--- 21924293
>>21907813 (OP)
Do you want classics, sources or historiography?
--- 21924496
>>21922895
>France and England in North America
Neat.
--- 21925012
Rise And Fall Of The British Empire
--- 21926830
>>21924496

Those two books... astounding work right there. What a legend
--- 21926911
Livy and Durant are my favorite. I have a soft spot for breadth
--- 21927187
>>21926911
>Durant
garbage
--- 21927189
>>21919312
Misread that as “Anthony Kiedis”
--- 21927196
>>21927187
Depends on what you’re reading him for (obviously too there are much better options today for Roman history than Livy) but anyone who attempts to synthesize so many facets of history, including art, philosophy, literature, science, politics etc over such a wide geography and period is going to be garbage by specialist standards and he says as much in his introduction. He is a good intro though, and from thenceforth you move to actual specialists.
--- 21927288
>>21927196
If I'm reading eisegetic fictive garbage I'd rather read the Cartoon History of the Universe & Cartoon History of the Modern World.

If I'm reading eisegetic cack I'd rather Hobsbawm shit his multi-volume collection—but I'd rather read _Feudal Society_ or Chris Hill's _Century_ or _The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II_
--- 21928046
Thought I'd bump this thread and ask if anyone has any recommendations for a good book on the Cristero War?
--- 21929322
>>21907813 (OP)
What about archeology?
--- 21929364
>>21907820
The Mind of the Middle Ages by Fredrick Binkerk Artz is a older, but still a great intellectual/cultural history.