I'm looking for a decent book about the origins and families of American robber barons, industrialists, tycoons, etc.

Rockefeller, Mellon, Vanderbilt, Astor, Carnegie, Morgan and the like.

I'm sure there are a quite a few but I'd love some recommendations.

Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman got me started, excellent read with plenty on WA Clark.

Thanks!

I am sorry, I had already made a post about this. But will leave this below too.

The period between 1917 and 1927 in Soviet Russia was when their art and culture peaked. This was despite the fact that a civil war was on the go. And it appears that a lot of it even influenced Bauhaus.

Post 1927 things took a very different turn. Stalin's entry pushed the whole thing tumbling down a different hill. His propaganda machine made sure that all ideas and thoughts reminiscent of capitalism was wiped out.

Even after so much of disorder, we still got some powerful influences like the Zuev Worker's Club, great musicians like Shostakovich, Khachaturian etc.

This was from some random podcast I was listening.

That said...

I am looking for books which cover this aspect of the Soviets. How a flourishing culture of art and architecture, which was so influential, got crushed under Stalin's neo-classicism. And yet several of these great artists and ideas still lived it out to be remembered by us till this date.

Thanks in advance.

There's a ton of material out there for understanding fascism, but not about other kinds of right wing, reactionary movements. I find it hard to grasp why someone would be a monarchist in 19th Century Europe (if they're not a monarch or noble themselves, of course.) Is there an article anywhere sort of laying out what these people believed and how they argued for their position?

I’m looking for good books to read on Communist Party USA historiography specifically focused upon that of African American leaders in the party.

I am very interested to find a good book about the Italian Unification or Risorgimento. My dad has taken an interest in the period and this would make for a great Christmas gift. I would prefer a general history rather than something like a biography of Garibaldi or something, unless of course it takes its time building context.

Any recommendations for an English biography of Bismarck or book about the formation of the German Empire?

Thanks in advance.

I've been looking to learn more about the history of Sri Lanka, does anyone have any recommendations on places to start? Would prefer pre- modern, but anything will do to get me started

Any good books on Pierre Trudeau, more specifically his response to the October Crisis.

What are y'all's opinions about the author Hampton Sides, particularly his book Blood and Thunder? Based on the title, it seems it might be over-dramatized, but it could also just be a punchy title. And if he and his work isn't up to snuff, what would be some good books about Kit Carson and/or The United States' conflict with the Navajo?

I’m looking for books about Ancient Egypt. I took a couple undergraduate classes (an intro, and a more focused art history course) many years ago, and since have read many general textbooks, surveys, atlases, and popular histories. I’ve got a good grasp of the general timeline, people, and places. While I’m just starting to learn Middle Egyptian online, I can recognize basic signs like nfr or maat, and I know which gods wear what hat, etc. I particularly women’s history, religion and cultic practices, and daily life of non-elite individuals, and I’d love to get more of a sense of the current scholarship, especially archaeological. General surveys are fine if they bring something new to the table—I enjoyed the first two volumes of John Romer’s survey, especially the historiographical sections about the 19th century German scholarship. Illustrations are a plus, particularly of new or hard to find images (not the Narmer palette). Recently read Carolyn-Graves Brown’s “Dancing for Hathor”, and really enjoyed. Thank you

Looking for Central Asian history prior to colonisations

I've been reading From Colony to Superpower, and Herring's sporadic treatments of U.S.-Latin American relations have really captivated me. Could anyone recommend an overview on the subject? A more recent work that covers post-Cold War relations is preferred but not necessary.

Hello, I would like to explore the Renaissance. Are there any book recommendations that would cover this certain period of time?