History has always interested me, but outside of school I never knew what would be considered a good book for learning about past civilizations, societies, religion etc. I know this is a broad question as it isn't specific to one place or time, but I am interested in anything. It can be surface level or go more deep into certain aspects. I'm just looking for a good read and to learn more about certain topics because for now I've just been reading a lot of wikipedia. Now that I mention it, if there is a certain wikipedia page you recommend I will also be more than down to check that out! Hopefully this sparks a good discussion and thank you for your time!
My personal preference is to read more primary sources for the time period of interest. I find reading from historic authors allows me to form my own view of the period rather than relying on another’s take on it. The downside is that you do not get as much breadth, or any context from physical artifacts as the perspective is a single author’s point of view.
I enjoy ancient history and would recommend Plutarch’s lives as a good introduction. He writes of many Greek and Roman persons that lived within a few centuries of him. Each live is a miniature biography. I also enjoyed reading the histories by herodotus. I found herodotus to be a good story teller, and interesting to get someone’s perspective from so long ago.
Another advantage of reading older works is you can often find free ebooks without much trouble. (Although the translation may determine if it is free use)