The Staatsbibliothek-Berlin has digitized a number of GDR newspapers, I've been looking examining how the Eastern zone's press perceived German history and tried to (re)claim German history according to their ideological precepts.

This might be the wrong place to ask, but is Mike Duncan's History of Rome podcast considered a good place to start learning about a Roman history? I've listened to about a third of it and is very interesting, but I was wondering how detailed/accurate it is.

I've been reading The Pursuit of Italy by David Gilmour. It gives a good overview, but I was wondering if anyone could recommend a more in-depth history of the Italian peninsula, especially in the middle ages and possibly stretching to the Renaissance?

One of our users found George Orwell's 1940 review of Mein Kampf. As a huge fan of Orwell, you can imagine how happy I was. The most interesting part is his conclusion about why it is that Hitler is able to arouse the masses. It's not just the propaganda but Hitler's ability to convince them that through his totalitarian state, through his murderous regime, they will experience the true thrill of LIFE; of struggle and overcoming obstacles and thus growth. Furthermore, Hitler is able to convince them that only through this struggle and occasional, individual loss but overall victory can German itself grow into that proud entity he constantly alluded to in his book.

I have been procrastinating reading The Viewpoints Book for almost a decade, because while I feel it has value in some areas of theater, it has not been super helpful to me. I finally started it this week, and, while some of my issues with it remain the same, it has not only been a surprisingly enjoyable read, but is surprisingly holistic!

I finished The Admirals by Walter Borneman.

I thought it was fantastic. Really did an excellent job of showing how important Lahey was to the war. The portion about Spruance v. Halsey and who actually deserved the fifth star was also really interesting.

I'm looking for a good introduction to Korean history. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I bought two new books about the Great Chinese Famine this weekend: Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962 (by Yang Jisheng) and Mao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-1962 (by Frank Dikotter).

Will need to get back to you sooner or later as to how good these books are.

Could anybody recommend a good book or two on events in Kansas leading up to the American Civil War? I've read Potter's The Impending Crisis and have a copy of Allen Nevins' Ordeal of the Union but both are broader surveys and pretty old. I also have access to the special report the House of Representatives commissioned, but it only goes up through 1856 or so.