I was at a university open house this past weekend and was incredibly impressed when one of the professors started pulling out refences to ancirnt civilisations as metaphors to stuff he was trying to explain to us.
Im now incredibly interested in the past, and am looking for books. Id really appreciate if you could share some books either you think are good for someone who doesnt know all that much, or too good not to read.
I look forward to your reccomendations. Thanks, -aceneo3
While you're waiting for other recommendations, check out the Books and Resources list
Start with a methods book. It'll give you insight into the profession and help you understand why historians say what they say.
There are many, but I think Iggers' Historiography in the Twentieth Century is as good as any. Accessible, not too jargon-laden.
One thing that I found to be rather helpful is to let your reading inform itself. I'm currently in my MA program for history, and it grows my list. For example, I'm working on a paper regarding American suffrage journals from the early 20th century. Since starting it, I'll find different topics that I might not be able to fully investigate at this time but would like to in the future. My Amazon wish list now contains books on Anna Howard Shaw and Alice Stone Blackwell. When I'm able to read more on them in the future, it'll likely point me towards even more topics. If you're currently in school and have free access to JSTOR, I would try to find a book on something you're interested in and search JSTOR for academic reviews. That way, you can make sure you're reading a reliable source. If you find a specific topic in the book, check the source that book used in the endnotes and try to get access to that. It can feel overwhelming, but it can definitely help you get a more thorough look at a topic you're interested in.
Wow, that's a tough request. It's a good idea to narrow it down a bit. Any particular era/region (or several) that interests you? Ancient Rome? Greece? The Byzantine Empire? The World Wars? China? Medieval Europe? Early Modern Europe? India? Sub-Saharan Africa? Mesoamerica? Iran? The Muslim world? That would make it much easier to give you a few recommendations.