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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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Rebel King
Rebel King
by Tom Bower
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Bell
by Georgina Howell
Edward III: The Perfect King
Edward III: The Perfect King
by Ian Mortimer
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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
by Harriet Jacobs
A Wing and a Prayer
A Wing and a Prayer
by Harry H. Crosby
April 1865
April 1865
by Jay Winik
Life in a Medieval Castle
Life in a Medieval Castle
by Joseph Gies, Frances Gies
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
by Philip Freeman
Letters on Ethics
Letters on Ethics
by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Margaret Graver, A. A. Long
Cartographic Japan
Cartographic Japan
by Karen Wigen, Sugimoto Fumiko, Cary Karacas
Love Lies
Love Lies
by Amanda Lamb
The Secret History of the World
The Secret History of the World
by Mark Booth
A Thousand Days
A Thousand Days
by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
by William L. Shirer
The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History
The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History
by Gary W. Gallagher, Alan T. Nolan
Not in Your Lifetime
Not in Your Lifetime
by Anthony Summers
Brandywine
Brandywine
by Michael C. Harris
The Westies
The Westies
by T. J. English
The Gift of Black Folk
The Gift of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
World of Our Fathers
World of Our Fathers
by Irving Howe, Morris Dickstein
The Fall of Japan
The Fall of Japan
by William J. Craig
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We Few
We Few
by Nick Brokhausen
Among Schoolchildren
Among Schoolchildren
by Tracy Kidder
Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down
by Mark Bowden
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Day of Infamy
Day of Infamy
by Walter Lord
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
by Joan Didion
12, 20 & 5
12, 20 & 5
by John A. Parrish
The Fremantle Diary
The Fremantle Diary
by Walter Lord, Lt. Col. James Fremantle
The Hidden White House
The Hidden White House
by Robert Klara
Alive
Alive
by Piers Paul Read
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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
Guadalcanal Diary
Guadalcanal Diary
by Richard Tregaskis
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies
by John Steinbeck, Charles Wollenberg
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Incredible Victory
Incredible Victory
by Walter Lord
America's Secret Aristocracy
America's Secret Aristocracy
by Stephen Birmingham
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The Collapse of the Third Republic
The Collapse of the Third Republic
by William L. Shirer
On Palestine
On Palestine
by Noam Chomsky, Ilan Pappe, Frank Barat
In the Wake of Madness
In the Wake of Madness
by Joan Druett
The Airmen and the Headhunters
The Airmen and the Headhunters
by Judith M. Heimann
The Last Founding Father
The Last Founding Father
by Harlow Giles Unger
Guests of the Ayatollah
Guests of the Ayatollah
by Mark Bowden
Voyagers of the Titanic
Voyagers of the Titanic
by Richard Davenport-Hines
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Collected Essays
Collected Essays
by Joan Didion
Leadership
Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
This Kind of War
This Kind of War
by T. R. Fehrenbach
Beyond Obsession
Beyond Obsession
by Richard Hammer
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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