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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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A Death in White Bear Lake
A Death in White Bear Lake
by Barry Siegel
West with the Night
West with the Night
by Beryl Markham
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Ten-Gallon War
Ten-Gallon War
by John Eisenberg
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War
by George Crile
The Falcon and the Snowman
The Falcon and the Snowman
by Robert Lindsey
Girl Sleuth
Girl Sleuth
by Melanie Rehak
Collected Essays
Collected Essays
by Joan Didion
The Last Madam
The Last Madam
by Chris Wiltz
Kick Kennedy
Kick Kennedy
by Barbara Leaming
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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
Beyond Obsession
Beyond Obsession
by Richard Hammer
Lincoln Reconsidered
Lincoln Reconsidered
by David Herbert Donald
Tanks in Hell
Tanks in Hell
by Oscar E. Gilbert
The Miracle of Dunkirk
The Miracle of Dunkirk
by Walter Lord
In Our Hearts We Were Giants
In Our Hearts We Were Giants
by Yehuda Koren, Eilat Negev
The Children
The Children
by David Halberstam
Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
by Adrian Goldsworthy
On Palestine
On Palestine
by Noam Chomsky, Ilan Pappe, Frank Barat
Not in Your Lifetime
Not in Your Lifetime
by Anthony Summers
The Will To Live On
The Will To Live On
by Herman Wouk
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
by Justin Kaplan
This Golden Fleece
This Golden Fleece
by Esther Rutter
A Jazz Age Murder in Northwest Indiana
A Jazz Age Murder in Northwest Indiana
by Jane Simon Ammeson
Bearing the Cross
Bearing the Cross
by David J. Garrow
Blessed Experiences
Blessed Experiences
by James E. Clyburn, Alfre Woodard
Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?
Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?
by Jimmy Breslin
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Pearl Harbor: Final Judgement
Pearl Harbor: Final Judgement
by Henry C. Clausen, Bruce Lee
Blind Ambition
Blind Ambition
by John W. Dean
Girls to the Front
Girls to the Front
by Sara Marcus
Chocolate
Chocolate
by Kay Frydenborg
Escape from Sobibor
Escape from Sobibor
by Richard Rashke
The Powers That Be
The Powers That Be
by David Halberstam
Jack and Rochelle
Jack and Rochelle
by Lawrence Sutin, Jack Sutin, Rochelle Sutin
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A Different Kind of Love Story
Miami
Miami
by Joan Didion
Papa Hemingway
Papa Hemingway
by A. E. Hotchner
The Reader's Companion to American History
The Reader's Companion to American History
by Eric Foner, John A. Garraty
The Late Shift
The Late Shift
by Bill Carter
Pain, Parties, Work
Pain, Parties, Work
by Elizabeth Winder
A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty
A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty
by Mimi Matthews
How We Get Free
How We Get Free
by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
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To Believe in Women
To Believe in Women
by Lillian Faderman
In the Wake of Madness
In the Wake of Madness
by Joan Druett
Anything Goes
Anything Goes
by Lucy Moore
The Soong Sisters
The Soong Sisters
by Emily Hahn
Blood River
Blood River
by Tim Butcher
Lend Me Your Ears
Lend Me Your Ears
by William Safire
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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