Good historical sources?

[Aus_Snow]

There are some great suggestions there, well worth looking into. Any advice on history books covering the East, islands of the Pacific. . . etc.?

Also, for earlier and more recent periods of time?

 

[Kuld]

One name: Ewart Oakeshott

Even though his writing style is probably not what you are after, his books are nontheless priceless if you are at all a history buff.

 

[Samnell]

The situation is that I don't own much in the way of history books

Dear goodness! Are you ok? Was there a fire? OK, ok, that was probably only to my self-consciously bibliomaniac and history-obsessive mind. Sorry.

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.

I can second Manchester's World Lit Only By Fire for readability. I'm aware of there being controversy over some of its content, but I'm not familiar enough with the dispute to know much beyond that it exists. I have the vague sense that it has a bit to do with an uncharitable reading of the Middle Ages, but I could be totally wrong on that. I read it in high school, back before I was regularly reading history.

For a macro perspective on the generalities of geography and development, there's always Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel. The logical companion volume is his Collapse which I haven't finished. I know very little about biology and ecology, but he came across very clearly to me despite that.

For Antiquity, (Greece, Rome, that particular set of dead people) I can recommend Norman Cantor's Antiquity as both readable and funny, in a whirlwind tour kind of way. I recall it being more topical than strictly narrative, which could be off-putting. He'll have a chapter on the Greek intellectual tradition, then a chapter on the Jewish, etc. His The Last Knight gives a very good picture of what great nobles actually did in the late Medieval period. In the Wake of the Plague is good too. My general experience with Cantor has been very good. If you can handle one book by him then you're probably ok with the rest of his mass-market opus. He does tilt fairly strongly towards political, intellectual, and economic history. Not the guy to go to for much on how the average peasant lived, perhaps.

If you're a bit more ambitious and not afraid of some philosophy (which the author explains lucidly enough) then a great book on the transition from the classical world to what we know as the Middle Ages, then Freeman's Closing of the Western Mind may be the thing for you. It's big enough in scope, but friendly and not afraid to name names. Cantor's Civilization in the Middle Ages (which is as big as it sounds) covers some of the same material from a more closely political angle.

Or at least these are the things I find readable. But hey, it's aesthetics. Spend some time at a B&N reading the first few pages and see how well you like the style.

 

[Imperialus]

It really depends on the time period you are looking at as most authors focus on a very small time frame. Donald Keegan for example is the go to guy for anything pertaining to a World War II narritive history. Pierre Burton is the guy to talk to if you have any Canadian history questions...

Good history texts, speaking as a history major who works in a bookstore:
1) Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbons. I have the abridged everyman's library edition. It's pretty good. God help you if you try and find (nevermind read) the full text, I belive it's 17 or 18 volumes. At any rate dispite the dencity of the material and the fact that Gibbons is writing in an 18th century style it's THE definative source for material on the Roman Empire after the Pax Romana.

2) The Last Knight by Norman Cantor. This is an intersting book primarally about John of Gaunt who was sort of the 14th century's equivilent of General Mac Arthur, Howard Huges, L Ron Hubbard, and a Rockefeller rolled into one. Great narrative history, much more readable that Gibbons. Norman Cantor has a few other books out about the late middle ages though the names escape me at the moment... There is one about the plauge and another about the war of the roses but that's all I remember.

3) Terry Jones' Medieval Lives. Hey it's Monty Python does history... what can I say it's great and largely accurate.

There is also a series out right now that my store has in the bargin section called "A Brief History of (something)" They are pretty good overviews of everything from the Vikings to the Boxer Rebellion. Nothing I would use in a paper but they are very readable.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Dear goodness! Are you ok? Was there a fire? OK, ok, that was probably only to my self-consciously bibliomaniac and history-obsessive mind. Sorry.

No need to apologise. As it happens, regarding my (now 'our') book collection throughout the years, there's been not only fire, but theft and flood as well, I kid you not. Never mind though, I've (we've) been rebuilding a modest but acceptable library for a few years now.

Regarding history books in particular, I never had that many (I'm hoping to become a considerably more proficient 'armchair historian'. . . er, so to speak. . . in other words, I'm not a very good one right now) other than those I kept from my school days. A terrible admission, I know.

Ahem. So, hence the question, really.

 

[Vanion]

"Ash" by Mary Gentle is one of the better examples of giving a unique historical perspective from the shoes of a character and remains a well written narrative. There are points where the pacing falls apart and the interaction between characters isn't expressed as well as it could be, but it's still rather good. It doesn't stick strictly to the historical facts concerning the protagonist, but it does give a very good insight to 14th Century Europe from the eyes of a female condotierri (mercenary). Still, it's more useful from the persective of looking through one person's eyes rather than for gathering information or ideas for a setting outright.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

A few more from my collection of perminantly checked out library books...

A new dictionary of the canting crew: In its several tribes of gypsies, beggers [sic], thieves, cheats &c., with an addition of some proberbs, phrases, ... secure their money and preserve their lives by B.E. If you can find this at anything aproaching a reasonable price, let me know! The only one I can find online is a first edition from 1699 listed for $15000.00! But some research libraries probably have a copy, that's where I found the copy I use (1899 edition). It's also availbale through several online databases (Early English Books Online, Gale 18th Century Books Online, etc), if you have any association with a university library. http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=299717204&searchurl=tn=canting+crew&sortby=2

The Canting Crew: London's Criminal Underworld 1550-1700 by John L. McMullan Has many references to the book above, but is a history as opposed to a dictionary. And much more affordable!

Gold & Gilt, Pots & Pins: Possessions and People in Medieval Britain by David A. Hinton A medieval history & archaeology book, it contains great photographs and descriptions of the possessions of people from all walks of life in medieval Britain, from kings to commoners.Probably not somethign you'd read straight through, but an excellent reference book.

In Small Things Forgotten : An Archaeology of Early American Life by James Deetz This is THE book that made me decide to get a degree in Anthropology and specialize in Archaeology. Easy to read, fascinating, and packed full of information about all aspects of life in early America-how gravestone designs evolved, what the common person ate, and how a persons posessions were inventoried after they died. If you are interested in early American life in any way, you need to read this! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385483996/104-0702026-5019112?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance

 

[Samnell]

No need to apologise. As it happens, regarding my (now 'our') book collection throughout the years, there's been not only fire, but theft and flood as well, I kid you not.

Ow. That sucks.

Regarding history books in particular, I never had that many (I'm hoping to become a considerably more proficient 'armchair historian'. . . er, so to speak. . . in other words, I'm not a very good one right now) other than those I kept from my school days. A terrible admission, I know.

Some of those can be pretty decent, though usually it's the more focused ones and not the big survey texts. If you can find it and want really barebones summary stuff to help you integrate other things you read, you can't go wrong with Birdsall Viault's Modern European History. Get the last ~500 years in a paragraph or two per topic. It's about a millimeter deep and reads a lot like a For Dummies book, but a handy companion for when someone makes an off-the-cuff reference to something and doesn't deign to explain it. I originally had it as a required text in high school, AP European History. Found it in a bookstore years later and snapped it up out of nostalgia, but it's one of those great books for getting a loose scaffold to fill in with other works.

 

[dougmander]

What Jane Austen Ate and What Charles Dickens Knew is an indispensable resource for Victorian-era gaming.

Maggie Secara's web-published Compendium of Common Knowledge, 1558-1603: Elizabethan Commonplaces for Writers, Actors, and Re-enactors is the best nuts-and-bolts summary of Elizabethan culture and custom I know of. And it's free!

A New World by Arthur Quinn is a lively history of colonial America from the earliest settlements to the fall of Quebec. It was the single most influential historical text for Northern Crown.

 

[loki44]

A New World by Arthur Quinn is a lively history of colonial America from the earliest settlements to the fall of Quebec. It was the single most influential historical text for Northern Crown.

This is probably my favorite history of colonial America. Reminds me too that I loaned it out and never got it back. It's worth a reread. I had no idea Northern Crown was influenced by it! I may have to check it out.....