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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
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
by William L. Shirer
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Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams
by Phyllis Lee Levin
Up from Slavery
Up from Slavery
by Booker T. Washington, Mychal Massie
A Wing and a Prayer
A Wing and a Prayer
by Harry H. Crosby
April 1865
April 1865
by Jay Winik
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
by Helen Castor
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
by Philip Freeman
"Our Crowd"
"Our Crowd"
by Stephen Birmingham
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The Pocket Stoic
The Pocket Stoic
by John Sellars
Taking Hawaii
Taking Hawaii
by Stephen Dando-Collins
Emperor of Japan
Emperor of Japan
by Donald Keene
The Hotel on Place Vendome
The Hotel on Place Vendome
by Tilar J. Mazzeo
50 Battles That Changed the World
50 Battles That Changed the World
by William Weir
Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
by Adrian Goldsworthy
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
by Ruth Benedict, Ian Buruma
Check Six!
Check Six!
by Jim Curran, Terrence Popravak Jr.
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Tell Me How It Ends
Tell Me How It Ends
by Valeria Luiselli
The Collapse of the Third Republic
The Collapse of the Third Republic
by William L. Shirer
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
by Douglas Brinkley, Luke A. Nichter
The Last Madam
The Last Madam
by Chris Wiltz
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
The Westies
The Westies
by T. J. English
The White Album
The White Album
by Joan Didion
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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The Reader's Companion to American History
The Reader's Companion to American History
by Eric Foner, John A. Garraty
Day of Infamy
Day of Infamy
by Walter Lord
World of Our Fathers
World of Our Fathers
by Irving Howe, Morris Dickstein
D-Day with the Screaming Eagles
D-Day with the Screaming Eagles
by George Koskimaki
Memoir of Col. Benjamin Tallmadge
Memoir of Col. Benjamin Tallmadge
by Col. Benjamin Tallmadge
Collected Essays
Collected Essays
by Joan Didion
Leadership
Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down
by Mark Bowden
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All the Gallant Men
All the Gallant Men
by Donald Stratton, Ken Gire
This Kind of War
This Kind of War
by T. R. Fehrenbach
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
by Joan Didion
Mr. Lincoln's Army
Mr. Lincoln's Army
by Bruce Catton
Tanks in Hell
Tanks in Hell
by Oscar E. Gilbert
Case Closed
Case Closed
by Gerald Posner
Peary to the Pole
Peary to the Pole
by Walter Lord
The Hidden White House
The Hidden White House
by Robert Klara
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
Good Hunting
Good Hunting
by Jack Devine, Vernon Loeb
The Way of the Gladiator
The Way of the Gladiator
by Daniel P. Mannix, Michael Stephenson
Letters on Ethics
Letters on Ethics
by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Margaret Graver, A. A. Long
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
by Richard H. Minear, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Art Spiegelman
Crochet Iconic Women
Crochet Iconic Women
by Carla Mitrani
The Final Curtsey
The Final Curtsey
by Margaret Rhodes
Crown & Sceptre
Crown & Sceptre
by Tracy Borman
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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