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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 Cat's Tale
A Cat's Tale
by Baba the Cat, Paul Koudounaris
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Spartacus
Spartacus
by Aldo Schiavone, Jeremy Carden
Pain, Parties, Work
Pain, Parties, Work
by Elizabeth Winder
The Will To Live On
The Will To Live On
by Herman Wouk
Vintage Miami Beach Glamor
Vintage Miami Beach Glamor
by Deborah C Pollack, Paul S. George
The Pocket Stoic
The Pocket Stoic
by John Sellars
Third Girl from the Left
Third Girl from the Left
by Christine Barker
The Hotel on Place Vendôme
The Hotel on Place Vendôme
by Tilar J. Mazzeo
A Woman on the Edge of Time
A Woman on the Edge of Time
by Jeremy Gavron
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Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
by Adrian Goldsworthy
Check Six!
Check Six!
by Terrence Popravak, Jim Curran
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8 Powerful Military Memoirs 
The Great Siege, Malta 1565
The Great Siege, Malta 1565
by Ernle Bradford
To Believe in Women
To Believe in Women
by Lillian Faderman
200 Texas Outlaws and Lawmen, 1835–1935
200 Texas Outlaws and Lawmen, 1835–1935
by Robert Barr Smith, Dan Anderson, Laurence Yadon
Dallas '63
Dallas '63
by Peter Dale Scott
Girls to the Front
Girls to the Front
by Sara Marcus
A Death in White Bear Lake
A Death in White Bear Lake
by Barry Siegel
Escape from Sobibor
Escape from Sobibor
by Richard Rashke
Ten-Gallon War
Ten-Gallon War
by John Eisenberg
1000 Years of Annoying the French
1000 Years of Annoying the French
by Stephen Clarke
Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Franklin
by Brenda Maddox
Papa Hemingway
Papa Hemingway
by A. E. Hotchner
Revolutionaries
Revolutionaries
by Jack Rakove
The Kennedy Imprisonment
The Kennedy Imprisonment
by Garry Wills
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Pearl Harbor: Final Judgement
Pearl Harbor: Final Judgement
by Bruce Lee, Henry C. Clausen
Anne Frank in the Secret Annex
Anne Frank in the Secret Annex
by Ronald Leopold, The Anne Frank House
The Price of Children
The Price of Children
by Maria Laurino
Survivors in Mexico
Survivors in Mexico
by Rebecca West
The Cult of the Saints
The Cult of the Saints
by Peter Brown
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Dr. Seuss Goes to War
Dr. Seuss Goes to War
by Art Spiegelman, Richard H. Minear, Theodor Seuss Geisel
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
by Ian Buruma, Ruth Benedict
Bohemian Paris
Bohemian Paris
by Dan Franck
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
by Frederick Douglass
Votescam
Votescam
by Kenneth F. Collier, James M. Collier
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The Comedians
The Comedians
by Kliph Nesteroff
The Miracle of Dunkirk
The Miracle of Dunkirk
by Walter Lord
The Indestructible Jews
The Indestructible Jews
by Max I. Dimont
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940)
Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940)
by James MacGregor Burns
Israel, Palestine and Peace
Israel, Palestine and Peace
by Amos Oz
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Ms. Gloria Steinem
Ms. Gloria Steinem
by Winifred Conkling
The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women
by Euripides
What Her Body Thought
What Her Body Thought
by Susan Griffin
President Carter
President Carter
by Madeleine Albright, Stuart E. Eizenstat
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
by Justin Kaplan
This Golden Fleece
This Golden Fleece
by Esther Rutter
An American Requiem
An American Requiem
by James Carroll
How We Get Free
How We Get Free
by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
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The Mother of the Brontës
The Mother of the Brontës
by Sharon Wright
Rooster
Rooster
by Brett Cogburn
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The Gay Metropolis
The Gay Metropolis
by Charles Kaiser
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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.