Thursday Reading and Recommendations is intended as bookish free-for-all, for the discussion and recommendation of all books historical, or tangentially so. Suggested topics include, but are by no means limited to:
Asking for book recommendations on specific topics or periods of history
Newly published books and articles you're dying to read
Recent book releases, old book reviews, reading recommendations, or just talking about what you're reading now
Historiographical discussions, debates, and disputes
...And so on!
Regular participants in the Thursday threads should just keep doing what they've been doing; newcomers should take notice that this thread is meant for open discussion of history and books, not just anything you like -- we'll have a thread on Friday for that, as usual.
I recently finished The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Diversity, AD 200-1000, by Peter Brown. It shows the spread of Christianity in Europe, Middle East, and North Africa. The distinct development of Christian doctrine in the West and in the East is discussed for much of the book. For example, the West-East debates on iconography nearly caused schism, but was ultimately resolved, in favor of the West.
The spread of Christianity in the West was greatly aided by monasticism, as monasteries became centers of theological learning, and the laity saw them as holy places. Nonetheless, the Christianity practiced in much of Europe had mixtures of pre-Christian customs that proved really hard to shake off, and so were tolerated to an extent. It's also noted towards the end of the book, that much of our knowledge of Viking sagas were due to Christian monks writing down these oral traditions, despite their disdain for pagan beliefs.
Currently reading 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, by Mark Kurlansky. So far it's discussed the rise of Dubcek in Czechoslovakia, and the civil rights and anti-war movements in the US in the wake of the Tet Offensive.
In both instances, the media played significant roles: Free press led to the unraveling of corruption in the Czechoslovakian government, and TV coverage of protests in the US inspired similar demonstrations in Prague; meanwhile, development of live satellite transmission meant that Americans, for the first time, were able to watch raw footage of the far-away war in Vietnam, and the widespread coverage of the Tet Offensive greatly swayed public opinion against the war.
I’m reading the “Fall of the Ottomans- the Great War in the Middle East” by Eugene Rogan and my big takeaway so far is that the amount of respect global Islam had for the Ottoman caliphate was essentially zero.
Is anyone aware of a decent history of the Estado Novo regime in Portugal? A biography of Antonio Salazar could also be helpful.
Any recommendations for an accessible "intro" to world history? I've been woefully exposed to history after high school and kinda wanna get a wide view of everything before diving into specific topics
Are there any good English language books about the 1848 uprising in Vienna?
I saw that Maurice Samuels just published a new book in April entitled The Betrayal of the Duchess: The Scandal That Unmade the Bourbon Monarchy and Made France Modern. This looks interesting for anyone interested in 19th century French history, French nobility, and Jewish history.
Why in the Sam Hill is The Prussian Crusade by William Urban $600?!
I have his other crusader books and they dirt cheap (comparatively)
Anyone have a good history of Singapore?
Favourite book on Charles XII or the Great Northern War? Glanced over the wiki page and thought fuck me how have I not read more about this.
I'm looking for something on everyday life in european settlements of all sizes during the industrialization. It's for a fictional story I'm writing and my general interest in the topic, so it doesn't need be be overly detailed or sophisticated. thanks!
