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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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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
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War
by George Crile
Thunder Run
Thunder Run
by Mark Bowden, David Zucchino
From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in the World Volume I
From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in the World Volume I
by Marilyn French, Margaret Atwood
Washington
Washington
by James Thomas Flexner
Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?
Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?
by Jimmy Breslin
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Voyagers of the Titanic
Voyagers of the Titanic
by Richard Davenport-Hines
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Collected Essays
Collected Essays
by Joan Didion
Grant Takes Command
Grant Takes Command
by Bruce Catton
Day of Infamy
Day of Infamy
by Walter Lord
This Kind of War
This Kind of War
by T. R. Fehrenbach
Alive
Alive
by Piers Paul Read
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Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Life at the Dakota
Life at the Dakota
by Stephen Birmingham
Encounters with Chinese Writers
Encounters with Chinese Writers
by Annie Dillard
Empire of Things
Empire of Things
by Frank Trentmann
The Late Shift
The Late Shift
by Bill Carter
A Wing and a Prayer
A Wing and a Prayer
by Harry H. Crosby
The Rose of Martinique
The Rose of Martinique
by Andrea Stuart
African Samurai
African Samurai
by Thomas Lockley, Geoffrey Girard
The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History
The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History
by Alan T. Nolan, Gary W. Gallagher
The Collapse of the Third Republic
The Collapse of the Third Republic
by William L. Shirer
Bananas
Bananas
by Peter Chapman
The Stones of Florence
The Stones of Florence
by Mary McCarthy
Of a Feather
Of a Feather
by Scott Weidensaul
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
The Bowery Boys
The Bowery Boys
by Greg Young, Tom Meyers
Red Road from Stalingrad
Red Road from Stalingrad
by Mansur Abdulin, Artem Drabkin
Beyond Obsession
Beyond Obsession
by Richard Hammer
The Nixon Tapes: 1971–1972
The Nixon Tapes: 1971–1972
by Douglas Brinkley, Luke A. Nichter
Case Closed
Case Closed
by Gerald Posner
In the Wake of Madness
In the Wake of Madness
by Joan Druett
The Book of Awesome Black Americans
The Book of Awesome Black Americans
by Monique Jones
Overground Railroad
Overground Railroad
by Candacy A. Taylor
Crochet Iconic Women
Crochet Iconic Women
by Carla Mitrani
So You Think You Know Rock and Roll?
So You Think You Know Rock and Roll?
by Peter E. Meltzer
Women's Lives and Clothes in WW2
Women's Lives and Clothes in WW2
by Lucy Adlington
The Purple Diaries
The Purple Diaries
by Joseph Egan
The Baby Boom
The Baby Boom
by P. J. O'Rourke
Women of the Revolution
Women of the Revolution
by Robert Dunkerly
Voyage of the Damned
Voyage of the Damned
by Max Morgan-Witts, Gordon Thomas
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The Secret of the Yellow Death
The Secret of the Yellow Death
by Suzanne Jurmain
Blood Dazzler
Blood Dazzler
by Patricia Smith
Serpentine
Serpentine
by Thomas Thompson
Target Tokyo
Target Tokyo
by Gordon W. Prange, Donald M. Goldstein, Katherine V. Dillon
Why Homer Matters
Why Homer Matters
by Adam Nicolson
A Daily Creativity Journal
A Daily Creativity Journal
by Noah Scalin
1973: Rock at the Crossroads
1973: Rock at the Crossroads
by Andrew Grant Jackson
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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.