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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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Camilla
Camilla
by Angela Levin
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Bell
by Georgina Howell
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
by William L. Shirer
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A Wing and a Prayer
A Wing and a Prayer
by Harry H. Crosby
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
Overground Railroad
Overground Railroad
by Candacy A. Taylor
An American Heroine in the French Resistance
An American Heroine in the French Resistance
by Virginia D'Albert-Lake
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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
The Gay Metropolis
The Gay Metropolis
by Charles Kaiser
The White Album
The White Album
by Joan Didion
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
We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young
We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young
by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore, Joseph L. Galloway
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Revolutionaries
Revolutionaries
by Jack Rakove
Kennedy and Roosevelt
Kennedy and Roosevelt
by James MacGregor Burns, Michael Beschloss
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Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
by Joan Didion
Mr. Lincoln's Army
Mr. Lincoln's Army
by Bruce Catton
The Hidden White House
The Hidden White House
by Robert Klara
Tanks in Hell
Tanks in Hell
by Oscar E. Gilbert
Lonely Vigil
Lonely Vigil
by Walter Lord
A Chorus of Stones
A Chorus of Stones
by Susan Griffin
The Grandees
The Grandees
by Stephen Birmingham
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Bearing the Cross
Bearing the Cross
by David J. Garrow
The Hotel on Place Vendome
The Hotel on Place Vendome
by Tilar J. Mazzeo
The Secret History of the World
The Secret History of the World
by Mark Booth
Crochet Iconic Women
Crochet Iconic Women
by Carla Mitrani
The Final Curtsey
The Final Curtsey
by Margaret Rhodes
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
Tell Me How It Ends
Tell Me How It Ends
by Valeria Luiselli
The Stones of Florence
The Stones of Florence
by Mary McCarthy
The Great Siege, Malta 1565
The Great Siege, Malta 1565
by Ernle Bradford
Washington's Immortals
Washington's Immortals
by Patrick K. O'Donnell
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Papa Hemingway
Papa Hemingway
by A. E. Hotchner
Day of Infamy
Day of Infamy
by Walter Lord
Collected Essays
Collected Essays
by Joan Didion
Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down
by Mark Bowden
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Marine!
Marine!
by Burke Davis
Beyond Obsession
Beyond Obsession
by Richard Hammer
Life at the Dakota
Life at the Dakota
by Stephen Birmingham
The Children
The Children
by David Halberstam
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
Spectacle
Spectacle
by Pamela Newkirk
Miracle at Midway
Miracle at Midway
by Gordon W. Prange, Donald M. Goldstein, Katherine V. Dillon
This Golden Fleece
This Golden Fleece
by Esther Rutter
140 Days to Hiroshima
140 Days to Hiroshima
by David Dean Barrett
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
by Ruth Benedict, Ian Buruma
Showing 1-50 of 203 results

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