I wanted to start Guns, Germs, and Steel until I read some of the FAQ posts on here about it. I'm really looking for a good book on history/archaeology, but I'm pretty tired of 500+ page nonfiction.
Can I get some recommendations for very good history books that are around 300 pages?
Are you familiar with the Very Short Introduction series? Oxford University Press commissions experts in the topics to write circa 150 page books introducing you to the area in question and usually with suggestions for further reading. They’re generally very good. https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/v/very-short-introductions-vsi/?cc=us&lang=en&