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World History Books That Illuminate History Around You

Our past can tell us so much about the present and the future. World history books help us to understand our world by providing context to how we arrived where we are today.

The best world history books are accessible and comprehensive, guiding readers through important events of the past and drawing connections to causes and effects throughout history.

Take a journey along the Silk Road, walk the streets of colonial America, or fight in the Wars of the Roses. History books give us the opportunity to experience another time and place through the power of reading. 

No matter what era or area you’re interested in, we’ve put together this collection of world history books to satisfy your curiosity and wanderlust. 

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A Daily Creativity Journal
A Daily Creativity Journal
by Noah Scalin
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
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Grant Takes Command
Grant Takes Command
by Bruce Catton
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
by Helen Castor
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
by Philip Freeman
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
by Justin Kaplan
Death Sentence
Death Sentence
by Jerry Bledsoe
African Samurai
African Samurai
by Geoffrey Girard, Thomas Lockley
Evidence of Love
Evidence of Love
by John Bloom, Jim Atkinson
High, Wide and Lonesome
High, Wide and Lonesome
by Hal Borland
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
by William L. Shirer
The Collapse of the Third Republic
The Collapse of the Third Republic
by William L. Shirer
Dancing in the Mosque
Dancing in the Mosque
by Homeira Qaderi, Zaman S. Stanizai
The Westies
The Westies
by T. J. English
The Fall of Japan
The Fall of Japan
by William J. Craig
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Voyagers of the Titanic
Voyagers of the Titanic
by Richard Davenport-Hines
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The Fifties
The Fifties
by David Halberstam
The Unfinished Odyssey of Robert Kennedy
The Unfinished Odyssey of Robert Kennedy
by David Halberstam
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Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
by Joan Didion
12, 20 & 5
12, 20 & 5
by John A. Parrish
Mr. Lincoln's Army
Mr. Lincoln's Army
by Bruce Catton
The Hidden White House
The Hidden White House
by Robert Klara
A Night to Remember
A Night to Remember
by Walter Lord
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
by Dee Brown
Enemy at the Gates
Enemy at the Gates
by William J. Craig
Case Closed
Case Closed
by Gerald Posner
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies
by Charles Wollenberg, John Steinbeck
Rebel King
Rebel King
by Tom Bower
The Grandes Dames
The Grandes Dames
by Stephen Birmingham
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Letters on Ethics
Letters on Ethics
by Margaret Graver, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, A. A. Long
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
by Richard H. Minear, Art Spiegelman, Theodor Seuss Geisel
Global Crisis
Global Crisis
by Geoffrey Parker
A Thousand Days
A Thousand Days
by Arthur M. Schlesinger
The Final Curtsey
The Final Curtsey
by Margaret Rhodes
A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty
A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty
by Mimi Matthews
Tell Me How It Ends
Tell Me How It Ends
by Valeria Luiselli
Not in Your Lifetime
Not in Your Lifetime
by Anthony Summers
The Airmen and the Headhunters
The Airmen and the Headhunters
by Judith M. Heimann
Answers to Questions You've Never Asked
Answers to Questions You've Never Asked
by Joseph Pisenti
World of Our Fathers
World of Our Fathers
by Irving Howe, Morris Dickstein
Twelve Years a Slave
Twelve Years a Slave
by Solomon Northup
Collected Essays
Collected Essays
by Joan Didion
Challenger: An American Tragedy
Challenger: An American Tragedy
by Hugh Harris
Day of Infamy
Day of Infamy
by Walter Lord
Cider with Rosie
Cider with Rosie
by Laurie Lee
Alive
Alive
by Piers Paul Read
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The Dawn's Early Light
The Dawn's Early Light
by Walter Lord
Fiber Craft Heritage
Fiber Craft Heritage
by Doris Fischer
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The best world history books are both informative and interesting, they tell stories from history using factual information as well as intriguing writing and world building. Some examples of great and captivating world history books include Marilyn French’s From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in the World and Terence McLaughlin’s Dirt

Which history books are considered “must-read” is completely dependent on your interests! If you’ve always found yourself interested in English history and monarchs, you must read Phil Carradice’s Bloody Mary or Rebellion Against Henry VII. If you’re fascinated by countercultural and secretive movements then you simply must read Mark Booth’s The Secret History of the World