First I have a few recommendations for people interested in environmental history or you want to do background reading for my upcoming floating feature posts on American suburbs I suggest:

Changes in the Land, by William Cronon

And

Crabgrass Frontier, by Kenneth Jackson

I would also like to ask for recommendations regarding the British perspectives on the American revolutions. Accounts of soldiers, Tories, and other loyalists would be great. But in general, a history of the revolution from the British view.

I’ve tried to search but not found anything so here goes. I’m currently reading, and thoroughly enjoying, Adam Tooze’s ‘Wages of Destruction’. I’d like recommendations for a similar style of work, I’m not interested in a particular period as such but rather readable and deep. Thanks in advance and apologies if I’ve missed a similar request posted previously.

Based off a post I recently saw on this sub, what are some good books about the history of birthdays in Western societies (or societies across the world)?

Also can anyone recommend a good history of ducks and their role in human history throughout the world? I’ve seen histories of dogs, cats, and horses, and am wondering if there is anything similar for ducks.

Late Ancient/Early Medieval Europe

Does anyone have any reading recommendations on the development of "civilization" (complex economic activity, literacy, and large scale stable states) in "barbarian" (non-Roman controlled, i.e. Scandinavia, Central, and Eastern) Europe? In particular, I want to know how these changed in the 1 CE to 1000 CE period.

I have a little bit of background (I have read like Rosenwein's textbook, a bit of Chris Wickham's and Peter Heather's work, as well as Bartlett's The Making of Europe), but most of what I know on this topic is inferring from passive assumptions in these works. I gather that there were not large settled "states" in the region prior to the collapse of Rome (excepting maybe Nomad empires?), literacy, complex economic activity (e.g. very specialized or long-distance staple trade), or anywhere near the focus on "cities" that Rome had. (This is why I am using the term "civilization", because there does seem to be a difference between the urban civitas and whatever was going on in what is now Poland). I think that there was settled agriculture in these barbarian lands, and that the techniques and species used for it can ultimately be traced to the Fertile Crescent via the Mediterranean, but even this I am not sure of. I also think that the reason our sources open up is because of Christianity's emphasis on elite literacy, but I can't tell if there is also a lack of political and economic scale before that.

I know this might not seem like an especially coherent question, but I am looking for an overview which helps me understand the academic consensus on this topic and how these strands come together. I will be having to teach high school world history next year and I really want to be able to answer questions.

Thank you in advance!

P.S. I’m reading Walls by David Frye, and while I am honestly a little disappointed (his whole Sparta chapter flies in the face of /u/Iphikrates book and podcast episodes), I am intrigued by his contention that the line between “civilized” and not is the militarization rates of adult men vis-a-vis other ways (i.e. walls) of protecting the community. Anyone have any reading relevant to this (either reviews of his book or anthropologists writing in favor or against this idea) that you recommend?

Books on the military orders. I am very interested in the Teutonic Order and the Templar Knights but any suggestions are good!

Looking for book recommendations on army compositions and logistics from the 12th to 15th century in England or France.

I'd be interested in any books about European history from the perspective of minorities - Jewish & Romani contributions, the contributions of Moors & other African ethnic groups with a history in Europe, about the Sami & Tartars, etc.

Also, can anyone recommend a book on Roman history that 1) doesn't take Roman sources at face value and 2) integrates information from modern disciplines such as genetics, archaeology, etc.?

Thank you for all your help :)