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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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On Palestine
On Palestine
by Noam Chomsky, Ilan Pappe, Frank Barat
365 Days
365 Days
by Ronald J. Glasser
Anything Goes
Anything Goes
by Lucy Moore
African American Medicine in Washington, D.C.
African American Medicine in Washington, D.C.
by Heather Butts, Hugh Florenz Butts
Of Wolves and Men
Of Wolves and Men
by Barry Lopez
Day of Infamy
Day of Infamy
by Walter Lord
West with the Night
West with the Night
by Beryl Markham
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The Hidden White House
The Hidden White House
by Robert Klara
Shade It Black
Shade It Black
by Jess Goodell, John Hearn
The Complete Papers and Writings of Abraham Lincoln
The Complete Papers and Writings of Abraham Lincoln
by Abraham Lincoln
A Chorus of Stones
A Chorus of Stones
by Susan Griffin
Jane Austen's Best Friend
Jane Austen's Best Friend
by Zoe Wheddon
Find Me Unafraid
Find Me Unafraid
by Kennedy Odede, Jessica Posner
Spectacle
Spectacle
by Pamela Newkirk
President Carter
President Carter
by Stuart E. Eizenstat, Madeleine Albright
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
They Have Their Exits
They Have Their Exits
by Airey Neave
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The Rose of Martinique
The Rose of Martinique
by Andrea Stuart
The Pocket Stoic
The Pocket Stoic
by John Sellars
Evita, First Lady
Evita, First Lady
by John Barnes
From a Taller Tower
From a Taller Tower
by Seamus McGraw
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Books Are Made Out of Books
Books Are Made Out of Books
by Michael Lynn Crews
The Hollywood Scandal Almanac
The Hollywood Scandal Almanac
by Jerry Roberts
An American Requiem
An American Requiem
by James Carroll
Hidden History of Horse Racing in Kentucky
Hidden History of Horse Racing in Kentucky
by Foster Ockerman Jr.
Third Girl from the Left
Third Girl from the Left
by Christine Barker
The Origins of Cool in Postwar America
The Origins of Cool in Postwar America
by Joel Dinerstein
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
by Carl Sandburg
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
Hidden History of Memphis
Hidden History of Memphis
by G. Wayne Dowdy
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
The Nixon Tapes: 1973
by Douglas Brinkley, Luke A. Nichter
To Believe in Women
To Believe in Women
by Lillian Faderman
Of a Feather
Of a Feather
by Scott Weidensaul
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Five Strides on the Banked Track
Five Strides on the Banked Track
by Walter Iooss Jr., Frank Deford, Jerry Seltzer
The Crate
The Crate
by Deborah Vadas Levison
Red Road from Stalingrad
Red Road from Stalingrad
by Mansur Abdulin, Artem Drabkin
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
MLK: An American Legacy
MLK: An American Legacy
by David J. Garrow
Votescam
Votescam
by James M. Collier, Kenneth F. Collier
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A Death in White Bear Lake
A Death in White Bear Lake
by Barry Siegel
Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes
by Elizabeth Keckley
J M Barrie and the Lost Boys
J M Barrie and the Lost Boys
by Andrew Birkin
The Game Changers
The Game Changers
by Jeff Miller, Joe Greene
Unsinkable
Unsinkable
by Daniel Allen Butler
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Song of the Vikings
Song of the Vikings
by Nancy Marie Brown
Pain, Parties, Work
Pain, Parties, Work
by Elizabeth Winder
Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel
by Susan Goldman Rubin
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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