Feel free to check out the Americas section of our book list for further sources, but I will list some of my favorites here. The list goes a bit in order, from easier but relatively solid introductions to slightly more difficult reads. However, all of these are good for newbies. Also, please let us know if you have a specific interest in a specific place or time. The New World is a big place, and there is so much to explore...

• 1491:New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles Mann is a great overview of the Americas before contact. Mann is a journalist, not a historian, but he did a good job laying the foundation for the history of the Americas with a very readable writing style.

• Matthew Restall Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is a mind-blowing book. He establishes seven persistent myths of the conquest, then breaks those myths down in one brief volume. Forget what you think you know about the early colonial period, and be prepared for a deeper, richer story than you could ever imagine.

• Daniel Richter Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America is a great introduction to eastern North American history. The big appeal of this book is shifting the narrative of contact away from the European perspective, and instead anchoring the story in Indian Country. A great book to challenge how you view contact.

• Andrés Reséndez The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America is the single best introduction to understand the temporal, geographic, and cultural magnitude of the native slave trade in the Spanish Empire. Absolutely vital for understanding the history of the Americas.

• Colin Calloway One Vast Winter Count: The Native American West Before Lewis and Clark is the best introduction and overview of the American West. I absolutely adore this book.