How to start learning everything about history?

by pm_me_ur_tits_boi

Hello historians of Reddit, I know this isn't the right subreddit to ask this question but how did you guys start with learning history? The reason I ask this is because I have this one teacher who knows everything about history and he made me really interested about history and know I want to read everything about history but I don't know how to start.

sunagainstgold

I have this one teacher who knows everything about history and he made me really interested about history and know I want to read everything about history but I don't know how to start.

Heh, this was exactly me in high school.

In my case, I asked this teacher how he learned everything. He told me, "For my PhD, I had to read a lot."

Earning a PhD will force you to do the reading, but fortunately, you don't actually need the degree or the degree program to do it. AskHistorians has an excellent booklist to get you started. I'd recommend just starting with what is most interesting to you. Don't worry about being comprehensive or about memorizing everything. Just enjoy reading. Eventually, you'll come across the same information in more than one book. Eventually, you'll find you just know it without even trying. :)

goateguy

Huzzah! My BA in history is finally good for something other than counting parts in a warehouse! /s

First off pick something that interests you and just start reading. If you want something easy to digest try Jared Diamond, his theories about what happened is a bit off the beaten path but is still accessible to the average reader. If you want something heavier, read Pomeranz, still accessible but definately meatier. But if you want to jump in the deep end, try Arrighi.

Diamond is more focused on the world, Pomeranz talks about history from an economic perspective (comparing the "west" and the "east"), and Arrighi is hardcore economic and labor history, but goes back and forth between China/Japan and the rest of the world.

Also a nice book that slots into the US/CIA/Middle East history section is "All the Shahs Men" by Kinzer. It is an extremely easy and engaging read. Nice to get your feet wet from a historical perspective.

I specialized in Asian history (one class away from putting it on my degree but that's beside the point), so my recommendations are from that angle. I also started as an international business major, so I liked economics as well, so my interests in history shifted toward economics and how countries traded with each other.

So in a roundabout way, I'm saying that pick up something and start reading. I would also recommend reading related subjects. Maybe middle east and British history has a nice crossover appeal to help flush out certain portions of it and make certain actions/reactions more understandable.

ps I would also like to recommend the lecture series "From Yao to Mao." Thr professor giving the lectures is my favorite professor from college Kenneth Hammond. If you have any interest in Chinese history I definately recommend it to you.

If you want any other recommendations PM me.