Books about Historical

  1. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

    by Joseph J. Ellis
    Examines the lives of key figures of the American Revolution and their political disputes.

    Informs our understanding of American politics–then and now--and gives us a new perspective on the unpredictable forces that shape history. An illuminating study of the intertwined lives of the ... (Goodreads)

  2. Battle Cry of Freedom

    by James M. McPherson
    A comprehensive history of the American Civil War, focusing on the political and military aspects.

    Filled with fresh interpretations and information, puncturing old myths and challenging new ones, Battle Cry of Freedom will unquestionably become the standard one-volume history of the Civil War. ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Six Wives of Henry VIII

    by Alison Weir
    A historical account of the tumultuous lives of Henry VIII's six wives, their political and religious struggles.

    The tempestuous, bloody, and splendid reign of Henry VIII of England (1509-1547) is one of the most fascinating in all history, not least for his marriage to six extraordinary women. In this ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Guns of the South

    by Harry Turtledove
    Time-traveling white supremacists provide AK-47s to the Confederacy, altering the outcome of the Civil War.

    In January 1864, the Confederate States is on the verge of losing the Civil War against the United States. Men with strange accents and oddly-mottled clothing approach Confederate General Robert E. ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris

    by David McCullough
    Story of the American artists, writers, scientists, and others who flocked to Paris in the 19th century, searching for inspiration and creativity.

    The Greater Journey is the enthralling, inspiring - and until now, untold - story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects, and others of high aspiration who set ... (Goodreads)

  6. Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

    by Tony Judt
    History of Europe since the end of World War II, examining the changes and challenges of the region.

    Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world's most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first ... (Goodreads)

  7. Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic

    by Tom Holland
    An exploration of the events that led to the fall of the Roman Republic.

    In 49 B.C., the seven hundred fifth year since the founding of Rome, Julius Caesar crossed a small border river called the Rubicon and plunged Rome into cataclysmic civil war. Tom Holland’s ... (Goodreads)

  8. A History of the World in 100 Objects

    by Neil MacGregor
    A journey through human history, exploring the significance of 100 objects that shaped our world.

    Neil MacGregor's A History of the World in 100 Objects takes a bold, original approach to human history, exploring past civilizations through the objects that defined them. Encompassing a grand sweep ... (Goodreads)

  9. Centennial

    by James A. Michener
    Epic journey through the history of the American West, painting a vivid picture of its people and culture.

    Written to commemorate the Bicentennial in 1976, James A. Michener’s magnificent saga of the West is an enthralling celebration of the frontier. Brimming with the glory of America’s past, the story ... (Goodreads)

  10. Marie Antoinette: The Journey

    by Antonia Fraser
    A biography of Marie Antoinette, from her childhood in Austria to her reign as Queen of France and eventual execution during the French Revolution.

    Marie Antoinette's dramatic life-story continues to arouse mixed emotions. To many people, she is still 'la reine méchante', whose extravagance and frivolity helped to bring down the French monarchy; ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Romanovs: 1613-1918

    by Simon Sebag Montefiore
    An exploration of the 300-year rule of the Romanov dynasty, from its rise to its fall.

    The Romanovs were the most successful dynasty of modern times, ruling a sixth of the world’s surface for three centuries. How did one family turn a war-ruined principality into the world’s greatest ... (Goodreads)

  12. Chasing Lincoln's Killer

    by James L. Swanson
    A gripping account of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin, and the events that followed his death.

    NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author James Swanson delivers a riveting account of the chase for Abraham Lincoln's assassin.,Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. The Boleyn Inheritance

    by Philippa Gregory
    Courtly intrigue during the reign of Henry VIII, full of danger, secrets and betrayal.

    The book begins in 1539, after the death of King Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour . Henry is looking for a new wife and chooses Anne of Cleves , daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves , whom he ... (Wikipedia)

  14. 1776

    by David McCullough
    A riveting account of the events leading up to and during the American Revolution.

    In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence - when the whole American ... (Goodreads)

  15. When Christ and His Saints Slept

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Epic tale of medieval England, exploring the power struggles of the Plantagenet dynasty.

    A.D. 1135. As church bells tolled for the death of England's King Henry I, his barons faced the unwelcome prospect of being ruled by a woman: Henry's beautiful daughter Maude, Countess of Anjou. But ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

    by Nathaniel Philbrick
    A gripping account of the legendary battle between General Custer and the Lakota Sioux.

    "An engrossing and tautly written account of a critical chapter in American history." —,Los Angeles Times, Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Hurricane's Eye , Pulitzer Prize finalist Mayflower , ... (Barnes & Noble)

  17. The King's Curse

    by Philippa Gregory
    The story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, and her struggle to protect her family from the malicious schemes of King Henry VIII.

    Since Henry Tudor's accession to the English throne as Henry VII , Margaret Plantagenet has had to distance herself from her connection to the former royal family to survive. Married to a minor Tudor ... (Wikipedia)

  18. The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville

    by Shelby Foote
    Comprehensive chronicle of the American Civil War, from its beginnings to the battle of Perryville.

    The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, ... (Goodreads)

  19. Nicholas and Alexandra

    by Robert K. Massie
    An epic saga about the last Tsar of Russia and the fall of the Romanov dynasty.

    The story of the love that ended an empire. In this commanding book, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Robert K. Massie sweeps readers back to the extraordinary world of Imperial Russia to tell the story ... (Goodreads)

  20. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

    by Bill O'Reilly
    A detailed account of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and its impact on the nation.

    A riveting historical narrative of the heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the first work of history from mega-bestselling author Bill O'Reilly, The anchor of, ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Last Boleyn

    by Karen Harper
    The story of Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn, and her life in the Tudor court.

    She Survived Her Own Innocence, and the Treachery of Europe’s Royal Courts Greed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, ... (Goodreads)

  22. Russka: The Novel of Russia

    by Edward Rutherfurd
    A sweeping historical novel that follows the lives of several families through the tumultuous history of Russia.

    The narrative spans 1,800 years of Russian history. The families that provide the focus for the story are the Bobrovs, Romanovs, Karpenkos, Suvorins and Popovs. The five families span the main ethnic ... (Wikipedia)

  23. The Lady of the Rivers

    by Philippa Gregory
    A sweeping historical novel about a powerful female's journey of self-discovery.

    Fourteen-year-old Jacquetta, whose noble family claims descendance from the water goddess Melusine , learns the secrets of her inherited powers from her great-aunt Jehanne , the Demoiselle of ... (Wikipedia)

  24. The Princes of Ireland

    by Edward Rutherfurd
    Epic chronicle of Irish history, spanning from ancient times to the present day.

    Brilliantly weaving impeccable historical research with stirring storytelling, Edward Rutherfurd explores our shared Celtic roots in a magnificent epic of Ireland spanning eleven centuries. While ... (Goodreads)

  25. Paris

    by Edward Rutherfurd
    An epic historical saga of love, loyalty, and power, spanning centuries of life in the city of Paris.

    The novel follows six families: the Le Sourds (a revolutionary family), the de Cygnes (a noble family), the Renards (a bourgeois family of merchants), the Blanchards (a family of Napoleon ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Royal Succession

    by Maurice Druon

    "This is the original Game of Thrones." George R.R. Martin. 'No woman shall succeed in Salique land',Louis X is dead, poisoned, murdered, by the hand of Mahaut d’Artois. Her plan is simple – to clear ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England

    by Dan Jones
    A sweeping account of the tumultuous reigns of England's Plantagenet kings and queens.

    The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones ... (Goodreads)

  28. Mary Queen of Scots

    by Antonia Fraser
    Biography of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and her tumultuous life as a monarch in 16th century Scotland and England.

    She was the quintessential queen: statuesque, regal, dazzlingly beautiful. Her royal birth gave her claim to the thrones of two nations; her marriage to the young French dauphin promised to place a ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857

    by William Dalrymple
    A historical account of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the fall of the Mughal Empire in Delhi.

    On a hazy November afternoon in Rangoon, 1862, a shrouded corpse was escorted by a small group of British soldiers to an anonymous grave in a prison enclosure. As the British Commissioner in charge ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn

    by Eric Ives
    A detailed account of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, and her impact on English history.

    This definitive full biography of Anne Boleyn, based on the latest scholarly research, focusses on Anne’s life and legacy and establishes Anne as a figure of considerable importance and influence in ... (Goodreads)

  31. Cleopatra: A Life

    by Stacy Schiff
    Biography of Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt.

    The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but ... (Barnes & Noble)

  32. The Rising Tide

    by Jeff Shaara
    A historical novel set during World War II, following the lives of soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict.

    A modern master of the historical novel, Jeff Shaara has painted brilliant depictions of the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and World War I. Now he embarks upon his most ambitious epic, a trilogy ... (Goodreads)

  33. Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge

    by Eleanor Herman
    A historical account of the sexual lives of European monarchs and their mistresses, revealing the power dynamics and political intrigue behind their affairs.

    Throughout the centuries, royal mistresses have been worshiped, feared, envied, and reviled. They set the fashions, encouraged the arts, and, in some cases, ruled nations. Eleanor Herman's Sex with ... (Goodreads)

  34. The Siege of Krishnapur

    by J.G. Farrell
    British residents of Krishnapur, India, face a violent siege during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

    The story is set in the town of Krishnapur, and tells of a besieged British garrison which holds out for four months against an army of native sepoys . Among the community are the District Collector ... (Wikipedia)

  35. The Last Tudor

    by Philippa Gregory
    Historical fiction about a family of nine sisters and their struggle to survive during the Tudor era.

    The latest novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory features one of the most famous girls in history, Lady Jane Grey, and her two sisters, each of whom dared to defy her ... (Goodreads)

  36. The Lady Elizabeth

    by Alison Weir
    A tale of intrigue and romance, the story of Elizabeth I's rise to the throne of England.

    Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, which recounted the riveting tale of the doomed Lady Jane Grey, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Alison ... (Goodreads)

  37. Poland

    by James A. Michener
    A sweeping historical novel that explores the rich and complex history of Poland, from its early beginnings to modern times.

    Like the heroic land that is its subject, James Michener's Poland teems with vivid events and unforgettble characters. In the sweeping span of eight tumultuous centuries, three Polish families live ... (Goodreads)

  38. Katherine of Aragón: The True Queen

    by Alison Weir
    The first in a series of historical novels about the life of Katherine of Aragón, the first wife of Henry VIII.

    Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir takes on what no fiction writer has done before: creating a dramatic six-book series in which each novel covers one of King Henry VIII's wives. ... (Goodreads)

  39. The Blackthorn Key

    by Kevin Sands
    A young apothecary apprentice and his friend solve a mystery involving alchemy, betrayal, and danger in 17th century London.

    Following a series of murders, an apothecary’s apprentice must solve puzzles and decipher codes in pursuit of a secret that could destroy the world in this “spectacular debut” ( Kirkus Reviews , ... (Barnes & Noble)

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