We Value Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to improve user experience. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies.

I UNDERSTAND
LEARN MORE

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. 

Current Book Deal

Loading...
No Way, They Were Gay?
No Way, They Were Gay?
by Lee Wind
The Hollywood Scandal Almanac
The Hollywood Scandal Almanac
by Jerry Roberts
Third Girl from the Left
Third Girl from the Left
by Christine Barker
Lost Kingdom
Lost Kingdom
by Julia Flynn Siler
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
by Ruth Benedict, Ian Buruma
Hidden History of Memphis
Hidden History of Memphis
by G. Wayne Dowdy
How We Get Free
How We Get Free
by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books to Read for Juneteenth
The Baby Boom
The Baby Boom
by P. J. O'Rourke
Of a Feather
Of a Feather
by Scott Weidensaul
The Hooligans of Kandahar
The Hooligans of Kandahar
by Joseph Kassabian
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Anything Goes
Anything Goes
by Lucy Moore
Cool
Cool
by Salvatore Basile
The Gift of Black Folk
The Gift of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
Twelve Years a Slave
Twelve Years a Slave
by Solomon Northup
China to Me
China to Me
by Emily Hahn
Escape from Sobibor
Escape from Sobibor
by Richard Rashke
J M Barrie and the Lost Boys
J M Barrie and the Lost Boys
by Andrew Birkin
Ten-Gallon War
Ten-Gallon War
by John Eisenberg
Serpentine
Serpentine
by Thomas Thompson
Rooster
Rooster
by Brett Cogburn
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
16 Best Western Books of All Time
The Spies Who Never Were
The Spies Who Never Were
by Hervie Haufler
Beyond Obsession
Beyond Obsession
by Richard Hammer
Hannibal
Hannibal
by Ernle Bradford
Spectacle
Spectacle
by Pamela Newkirk
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
Pain, Parties, Work
Pain, Parties, Work
by Elizabeth Winder
Hidden History of Horse Racing in Kentucky
Hidden History of Horse Racing in Kentucky
by Foster Ockerman Jr.
The Origins of Cool in Postwar America
The Origins of Cool in Postwar America
by Joel Dinerstein
The Brass Check
The Brass Check
by Upton Sinclair
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
11 Top-Notch Works of Journalism
1000 Years of Annoying the French
1000 Years of Annoying the French
by Stephen Clarke
The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man
by John Sununu
Jack and Rochelle
Jack and Rochelle
by Lawrence Sutin, Jack Sutin, Rochelle Sutin
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
A Different Kind of Love Story
The Indestructible Jews
The Indestructible Jews
by Max I. Dimont
Heist
Heist
by Howard Sounes
Spinning and Weaving
Spinning and Weaving
by Lynn Huggins-Cooper
For a Voice and the Vote
For a Voice and the Vote
by Lisa Anderson Todd
Survivors in Mexico
Survivors in Mexico
by Rebecca West
Books Are Made Out of Books
Books Are Made Out of Books
by Michael Lynn Crews
Pearl Harbor: Final Judgement
Pearl Harbor: Final Judgement
by Henry C. Clausen, Bruce Lee
The View from the Ground
The View from the Ground
by Martha Gellhorn
The Game They Played
The Game They Played
by Stanley Cohen
Arizona Outlaws and Lawmen
Arizona Outlaws and Lawmen
by Marshall Trimble
Great Second Acts
Great Second Acts
by Marlene Wagman-Geller
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
9 Empowering Books for Women
MLK: An American Legacy
MLK: An American Legacy
by David J. Garrow
The Secret of the Yellow Death
The Secret of the Yellow Death
by Suzanne Jurmain
Israel, Palestine and Peace
Israel, Palestine and Peace
by Amos Oz
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
Remembering Amos Oz, 1939-2018
New York in the '50s
New York in the '50s
by Dan Wakefield
Not Free, Not for All
Not Free, Not for All
by Cheryl Knott
Showing 101-150 of 196 results

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