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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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The White Album
The White Album
by Joan Didion
Hoax
Hoax
by Edward Steers Jr., Joe Nickell
The Bowery Boys
The Bowery Boys
by Greg Young, Tom Meyers
The Tudor Tutor
The Tudor Tutor
by Lisa Graves, Barb Alexander
Anything Goes
Anything Goes
by Lucy Moore
Great Second Acts
Great Second Acts
by Marlene Wagman-Geller
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Cool
Cool
by Salvatore Basile
The Gift of Black Folk
The Gift of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
Up from Slavery
Up from Slavery
by Booker T. Washington
Of Wolves and Men
Of Wolves and Men
by Barry Lopez
The Soong Sisters
The Soong Sisters
by Emily Hahn
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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Lend Me Your Ears
Lend Me Your Ears
by William Safire
Votescam
Votescam
by James M. Collier, Kenneth F. Collier
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The Reader's Companion to American History
The Reader's Companion to American History
by Eric Foner, John A. Garraty
A Death in White Bear Lake
A Death in White Bear Lake
by Barry Siegel
World of Our Fathers
World of Our Fathers
by Irving Howe, Morris Dickstein
Rooster
Rooster
by Brett Cogburn
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D-Day with the Screaming Eagles
D-Day with the Screaming Eagles
by George Koskimaki
Sub Rosa
Sub Rosa
by Stewart Alsop, Thomas Braden
Unsinkable
Unsinkable
by Daniel Allen Butler
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Girl Sleuth
Girl Sleuth
by Melanie Rehak
Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Franklin
by Brenda Maddox
The Comedians
The Comedians
by Kliph Nesteroff
Congress, Presidents, and American Politics
Congress, Presidents, and American Politics
by Lee H. Hamilton
Challenger: An American Tragedy
Challenger: An American Tragedy
by Hugh Harris
February House
February House
by Sherill Tippins
Revolutionaries
Revolutionaries
by Jack Rakove
The Kennedy Imprisonment
The Kennedy Imprisonment
by Garry Wills
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Women Who Launch
Women Who Launch
by Marlene Wagman-Geller
Marine!
Marine!
by Burke Davis
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
by Joan Didion
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
Guests of the Ayatollah
Guests of the Ayatollah
by Mark Bowden
Day of Infamy
Day of Infamy
by Walter Lord
Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down
by Mark Bowden
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Tanks in Hell
Tanks in Hell
by Oscar E. Gilbert
Hannibal
Hannibal
by Ernle Bradford
Lonely Vigil
Lonely Vigil
by Walter Lord
A Wing and a Prayer
A Wing and a Prayer
by Harry H. Crosby
Miracle at Midway
Miracle at Midway
by Gordon W. Prange, Donald M. Goldstein, Katherine V. Dillon
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
On Palestine
On Palestine
by Noam Chomsky, Ilan Pappe, Frank Barat
The Baby Boom
The Baby Boom
by P. J. O'Rourke
The Great Siege, Malta 1565
The Great Siege, Malta 1565
by Ernle Bradford
Collected Essays
Collected Essays
by Joan Didion
The Price of Children
The Price of Children
by Maria Laurino
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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