Hey, as a high school student with a growing interest in history, I'd really like to get my hands on some good books about Byzantine history. They seem like such an interesting mix of the Romans, the Greeks, and Medieval Europe.
I would really appreciate it if anyone could point me in the direction of some good books on this topic. Thank you guys.
I would highly recommend the three volume history of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich Byzantium: The Early Centuries Byzantium: The Apogee Byzantium - The Decline and Fall
They are really well written and covers a huge amount of topics, religion, economics, warfare, art etc. Definitely his magnum opus and cover every aspect of Byzantine history.
If you are looking for something a little shorter then Norwhich's A Short History of Byzantium. If I remember correctly this was written after the above but is also a good read.
Warren Treadgold's A History of the Byzantine State and Society is good. He also wrote on Byzantine military history, I remember liking those when studying.
I also like Steven Runcimans 3 volume history of the Crusades. It's not specifically focused on Byzantines but it is a very interesting look at the clash of Islam and Christendom with the Byzantines playing a role in the conflict. Runciman was very pro Byzantine and some later historians do note this bias in the books so have to take the books with a grain of salt.
The Alexiad by Anna Komnene is also an interesting read, she was a Byzantine princess who wrote a history of her father Alexios I. As the First Crusade occured during his reign it gives insight into how the Byzantines saw the Latins (Europeans).
There are a number of good histories written by Byzantine historians and chroniclers too, it's always good to get at primary sources.
In addition to the other books suggested so far, I'd recommend Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood by Anthony Kaldellis. It takes a look at the economic engine that powered the empire's wars from the mid-10th-century to Manzikert.