History

Five-book reading lists on specific historical periods, events, and themes — not introductory surveys but the carefully chosen books that move a curious reader from a general acquaintance with a period to a serious working understanding of it.

3 articles

History

Five Books on the American Civil War for the Curious General Reader

Five books that give the curious general reader a serious working acquaintance with the American Civil War — the political origins, the…

Eleanor Hartwell May 11, 2026 4 min read

History

Five Books on the Black Death and Late-Medieval Europe

Five books that take the Black Death seriously as a historical event — the epidemiology, the social rupture, the religious response, and…

Eleanor Hartwell May 11, 2026 4 min read

History

Five Books for Understanding the Russian Revolution Beyond the Bolsheviks

Five books that take the Russian Revolution seriously as a social, intellectual, and human event — not as a Bolshevik-centred political drama…

Eleanor Hartwell May 11, 2026 5 min read