Good historical sources?

[Aus_Snow]

Having received some excellent advice in the 'recommend some fiction' thread I started a while ago, I thought I'd see if the history buffs could help out this time.

The situation is that I don't own much in the way of history books, and I need some reliable sources for my fiction writing and campaign design. It's much more convenient having books at home than having to borrow them, or write in a library.

What would be particularly great is if posters could recommend a good writer (or selection of good writers) whose works cover several cultures, eras and/or geographical locations. Writing style is of prime importance too (well, after factuality and comprehensiveness.) The thing is, I'll persist in reading most things, but some writing styles put me off to the extent that I won't necessarily digest all the information. I know it's largely a subjective thing, but if people could give a reason or two why such-and-such's writing style is so good, that'd be doubly useful and appreciated.

Thanks in advance.





edit --- changed the thread title. reason: accuracy / suitability.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

A Writer's Guide to Life in __________ is an awesome series. The whole series is published by Writer's Digest, but some of the volumes, like A Writer's Guide to Life in the Middle Ages, are out of print, alas, so you might want to check Amazon or Exlibris or other sites.

They cover all sorts of nitty gritty details overlooked by most writers/gamers, but which bring a setting to life, like what sort of silverware (if any) was used, curse words used at the time, and so on.

And no, you can't have my copy of A Writer's Guide to Life in the Middle Ages.

 

[danbuter]

I'd recommend "Life in the Year 1000".

 

[jaerdaph]

Great question! This has the potential of becoming one of those EN World classic reference threads.

The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt by Ian Shaw

For a great resource for those Victorian era or Cthulhu 1920s era games, anything on Egypt by Ernest A. Wallis Budge, particularly The Mummy: Funereal Rites & Customs in Ancient Egypt (originally published in 1893).

Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace

Rome by M. Rostovtzeff, originally published in 1927.

 

[Agback]

The Penguin Atlas of World History: volume one ISBN 0-14-051054-0
The Penguin Atlas of World History: volume two ISBN 0-14-051061-3

This pair of books does a fantastic job of condensing political history to a manageable size. You would never read through it. But it is the most useful historical reference source on my bookshelves.

Joseph and Frances Gies do an excellent job in their many books on life in the Middle Ages. Their style is light and readable, and they don't snow you under with archaic technicalities. But their books are an excellent antidote to the simplistic versions of feudalism you get in high school history, and rich in the detail of everyday life. But they won't do you a lot of good for developments before AD 1100 or east of the Rhine.

On an even narrower focus, I recommend Linda M Paterson's The World of the Toubadours. It confines itself to the southern half of France and parts of northern Spain and Italy and the period from c 1100-1300, but it gives a solid overview of national identity, 'feudalism', knights and other combatants, chivalry, courts and courtiers, peasants, towns, medical practice, women, children, and clergy, heretics and Inquisition, and provides another healthy antidote to everything you thought you knew about the middle ages. It was reading this book that made me realise that the classic fantasy image of a wizard is based on a mediaeval doctor.

 

[Pinotage]

Osprey publish bucketloads of stuff on military history that you might find helpful.

Pinotage

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

The Year 1000 by Lancey & Danziger
Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry by De Charny (translation by Kennedy)

Any of David Macaulay's illustrated books-Castle, Pyramid, City, Cathedral, etc.

Any of Joseph & Frances Gies's Life In A Medieval... books (Life in a Medieval City, ...Village, ...Castle, A Medieval family, Daily Life in medieval Times, The Knight in History, etc.)

 

[diaglo]

Bullfinch's

 

[Wombat]

A wonderfully readable, if dated and not always reliable, source for historical information is the Wil & Ariel Durant Story of Civilization series. I have used it many times as a basic guide to all sorts of minor points of history -- I never used it for classes, but it has some great gaming ideas. Don't trust it at all for anything much outside of Europe and the Middle East, but it is great for those areas -- information on music, art, literature, politics, fashions, warfare, theology, sciences, all sort of rolled together.

It is a specialist's nightmare and an amateur's dream spot

 

[loki44]

Joseph and Frances Gies do an excellent job in their many books on life in the Middle Ages. Their style is light and readable, and they don't snow you under with archaic technicalities.

I'll 2nd or third Gies for the reasons above.

Others that jump to mind:
"A World Lit Only By Fire", William Manchester
"A Distant Mirror", Barbara Tuchman
Both read very easily, especially Tuchman, who weaves a factual, narrative tale through the fabric of the times she is writing about (Hundred Years War). Both authors read almost like fiction. Very scholarly without bogging the reader down. They bring the period (later Middle Ages) to life.

Also for the later Middle Ages, a classic:
"The Waning of the Middle Ages", Johan Huizinga (Definitely an influence on Manchester.)

And finally, if you're into pirates, one I finished recently:
"The Pirate Hunter", Richard Zacks
Zacks details the life of Captain Kidd, who has often been accused of being a pirate. Judge for yourself. Like Tuchman, he takes a character and narrates his story against the backdrop of the times. Very effective. The tale will suck you in.