My first book was republished in paperback this year, and is actually now a price that vaguely approximates its worth! Even better, the publisher (Edinburgh University Press) has an annual sale on St Andrew's Day each year, usually 40-50% off. That's this coming Wednesday, November 30th! So for the humble price of about £10-12 (or a rapidly decreasing equivalent number of US dollars), you too can own a prized copy of a book that has a 5-star rating average on Amazon. From about three total reviews, but I'm a historian so concepts like 'adequate sample size' don't apply.

The book itself is great for anyone who's into radical Scottish politics or the Spanish Civil War, but also hopefully speaks to wider, even contemporary issues such as foreign war volunteering, the nature of interwar communist movements and the ways in which impactful activism is organised and sustained.

It also has at least two jokes, one of which was actually spotted by a reader, which is my usual benchmark for a successful joke.

I'm going to take a moment and shill, just like I have the last few years, the fantastic book called "Why Dinosaurs Matter by Kenneth Lacovara. I have suggested it once or twice. Maybe. Its easily become one of my favorite books I read, and also comes in both audiobook and Tedtalk appetizer style!

As a dedicated Dino lover I was already the perfect audience for the book, but Lacovara writes (and narrates the audiobook) with an incredible passion that keeps you hooked. It's also a fairly short book, I read it in an afternoon, but interesting enough that you'll reread it a few times.

I'm going to copy a block I wrote before about what the book is about.

A main thrust of his argument is that "We" use Dinosaurs as an insult. It means old, outdated, failed to move on. Part of his argument is that that is a hurtful mindset to fall into. Dinosaurs were hands down some of the most successful animals on the planet. They survived for eons beyond anything we've dreamed, evolved to fit pretty much every continent (at the time obviously) and with untold variation. More then that, Diosaurs never died out. Some species did sure, but huge portions of them evolved into birds. Again, one of the most successful species on the current planet. A big part of it is trying to change the mindset that "old" or "Extinct" automatically means failure.

The book takes you through a history of the dinosaurs and what made them such a powerful and effective species, pointing out they don't actually all die off and disappear like many of us were taught as kids, and really spends time talking about how we today can take lessons from this. Both as a species, but also how we view the world and animals around us.

And I for one found all that pretty neat.

If you'll allow me some shameless self promotion, my first book came out this year. It's called The Medieval Crossbow: A Weapon Fit to Kill a King and it is, as the title suggests, a history of the crossbow. In comparison to it's more famous counterpart the longbow there hasn't been very much scholarly attention paid to the crossbow and its history, which is unfortunate because it was a very important weapon for centuries of warfare in Europe and elsewhere. This book is my attempt to write a new introductory history of the crossbow, to show people it's history and hopefully to inspire some other people to take up studying it. Seriously, it's a tiny field, don't leave me here all on my own.

Now, that out of the way, on to books I read this year that I really liked and would recommend to others!

First up is The Jacquerie of 1358 by Justine Firnhaber-Baker. The Jacquerie was a large scale peasant revolt that took place during the Hundred Years War partially as a result of the aftermath of the French defeat at Poitiers in 1356. It has generally not drawn as much scholarly attention as it's English counterpart, the Peasant's Revolt of 1381, and when people do learn about it it is usually through the very distorted lens of the account provided by the contemporary chronicler Jean le Bel, which was repeated by Froissart. Firnhaber-Baker provides a much needed reevaluation of the Jacquerie and in doing so provides amazing insight into the lives of the peasantry in France at this time. While no doubt an academic book, it's very readable and I'd highly recommend it, especially because it is now available in paperback instead of just eye-wateringly expensive hardback.

Peacemaking in the Middle Ages by Jenny Benham - continuing in my recommendations about niche topics in medieval history, this one really blew me away. I got it on sale thinking it might be interesting but expecting it to be pretty dry. Instead it was a fascinating study of how peace negotiations were managed during the High Middle Ages, making use of specific case studies along with more general analysis. I appreciate that not everyone will be as excited about this as I am, but understanding how wars ended or were avoided in the first place is often as important an aspect of military history as the wars themselves and I think this book is a great starting point for learning more about how people in the Middle Ages viewed peace and peacemaking. I wrote a longer review for my blog at: https://www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/peacemaking-in-the-middle-ages

White Mythic Space by Stefan Aguirre Quiroga - written by one of our very own, this is an excellent study of perception and understanding of history within popular imaginations. I'm not much for WWI, although I will confess to having played Battlefield 1 and enjoying it, but even if like me that's not a topic you are fascinated by this book has a lot to offer in terms of discussion of our current culture, politics, and how we represent history. I really hope it gets a more affordable paperback release because more people should read this book! I also wrote a longer review for my blog, which you can read here: https://www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/white-mythic-space-review

Repeating my recommendation from last year:

I'm always happy to shill for In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent. It kinda straddles the line of pop history and contemporary cultural analysis, written by a linguist, rather than being a 'proper' history book. Nevertheless, it's a great survey of the history of conlangs, and more importantly the people creating them: what motivated them, how did their languages work, and why did the languages gain momentum—or, rather, why did they almost all fail spectacularly? Okrent does a good job of describing how a lot of these people were men on the fringes of society, sincerely thinking their creation will have a strong influence on society, and not quite realizing how unpopular their idea actually is likely to be. It also does a dive into the actual communities of conlang speakers, such as what spawned fictional languages like Elvish and Klingon and what their fandom communities are like, as well as the culture that has emerged from the Esperanto community, despite it being designed to be a language that isn't associated with any culture.

It's a very accessible and engaging book on a particularly niche subject. It's also a good introduction to the topic of conlang history at large, since most other books are much more academic and/or focused on a particular trend within conlangs; Okrent doesn't always get into as much detail as you might wish, but she touches on a whole bunch of issues and exposes you to a broad range of events and issues that you never would've expected to learn about. It was, of course, my gateway into looking at conlanging not as a neat hobby, but a real historical interest worthy of attention, and it frequently gets cited in most of my responses on here about conlangs.

I come with two books that I always love to recommend. First, Dr Sabine Hyland's Gods of the Andes: An Early Jesuit Account of Inca Religion and Andean Christianity, which is an absolute banger and a must-have for anyone interested both in the religious aspect of life among Andean indigenous communities pre and post conquest, and in the life of a Spanish priest and historian who may or may not have been an indigenous sympathizer. Or as close as anyone could get to being an indigenous friend at the time, in any event.

The second one is How to Slay a Dragon: A Fantasy Hero's Guide to the Real Middle Ages, by Dr Cait Stevenson, also known as /u/sunagainstgold. I had the privilege and pleasure of reading this book before it even went to the publishers, and every time I read it again, I enjoy it more and more. Lay down your sword and take off your stinky boots, sit by the fire with a mug of your beverage of choice, and enjoy a wild ride with Stevenson, who deconstructs your typical fantasy media tropes about the Middle Ages either by giving you the actual version of concepts that have been heavily fictionalized, or by treating you to some historical events that are so weird and bizarre that they can make fantasy media look realistic by comparison.

Books on the History of India?

This might be too broad an ask, but I'm looking for a book on the history of India that would be accessible to a beginning college student who's very interested in the topic. I realize that's a huuuuuge topic, so here are two things to narrow it down.

Most importantly: It should be engagingly written. The sort of book you don't want to put down and that will make you interested in its topic, whether you were before or not.

The other "narrowing factor" would be a book that looks at a specific area within Indian history, for example (but not limited to)

- women's and/or gender history

- colonialism/anti-colonialism and the development of modern India

- individual biography (or even good historical fiction) of major historical figure - anyone from Ashoka to Indira Gandhi, so long as it's a gripping read

- focused on / around Gujarat

- development of Hindu nationalism

Finally, if you have recommendations of any particularly impressive historical fiction that makes for a can't-put-it-down read, I'm also happy to take those, particularly if you know of any aimed at a slightly younger audience (something like Ahimsa).

If I can indulge in a little shameless self-promotion, for the American Civil War aficionado in your life, my first book was published this year. It's a reexamination of the fighting at Little Round Top at Gettysburg disguised as a biography of the officer I contend deserves more notice than he has been given by historians for his role in holding the hill.

And it was my master's thesis, and is currently an award-nominated title, which is absolutely wild to me, so double trouble.

Pretty sure it'll get me banned from the State of Maine, though.

Any good, non-academic books about the history of Japanese colonialism in Taiwan and Korea?

Seeking books about the Holy Roman Empire

I prefer to focus on the time period starting with the Habsburg takeover of the crown and ending with the formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Looking for something accessible and readable. I may have the formal degrees to read the dense stuff, but where's the fun in that? I enjoyed Heart of Europe by Peter H. Wilson, but that's at the denser end of what I'm seeking.

I'm most interested in governance, politics, wars, and confessionalization, but I also enjoy reading about the occasional “great man.” Extra bonus points if it includes discussion of culture, gender roles, and “altar diplomacy” (political marriages to form alliances)!

So, my brother has become interested in expanding his general historical/political knowledge this year thanks to University Challenge. He knows little about history outside of music stuff and the basic outline he learnt from school. I'd love to buy him a book that explores history on a general level and would help to increase his understanding of the world on the whole. Any recommendations?

Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch. It goes outside our 20 year rule, but this is a great book about the history of the English language on the Internet. She looks at the ways that English has evolved online, from the norms that the early adopters established amongst themselves to how quickly language evolves in today's social media sphere. I particularly enjoyed the way she analyzed the differences in language patterns among various Internet sub-group, based roughly on age and when (and why) you started using the Internet. I always get a kick of seeing something I've actually experienced being given the historical linguistic analysis treatment, and I also learned all sorts of fascinating things. Example fun fact: Older people type in run-on paragraphs on social media because that's the way they wrote on postcards!

Palace Women in the Northern Sung, 960-1126 by Priscilla Ching Chung. This is the definitive book about women who lived and worked in the imperial palace in Song Dynasty China. I was really fascinated to learn about how the hundreds of women employed by the palace were all divided into bureaus that paralleled the government bureaus male civil officials worked in. They handled everything from sorting the mail of the imperial concubines to arranging the palace gardens. In theory they were also all available to the Emperor as part of his harem, and the book profiles the empresses and concubines of the period too.

A Chinese Traveler in Medieval Korea: Xu Jing's Illustrated Account of the Xuanhe Embassy to Koryo trans. Sem Vermeersch. This is probably the best primary source I read all year when it comes to the medieval world. It's the only first-hand account we have of everyday life in Korea during the Goryeo period. It was written in the 12th century by a Chinese diplomat. Although his account is coloured by the bias of a Han dignitary living among "barbarians", it provides priceless details about everyday life in medieval Korea. He talks about their festivals, their clothing, and the lives of everyone from fisherfolk to the king.

Tattoo Traditions of Native North America by Lars Krutak. This is a book I think every American should read. The history of Indigenous tattooing is SO rich and was such an important part of life all across the American continent for centuries, including right up to today! Today's Indigenous tattoo revival movement is spreading across the continent, and this book provides a fantastic grounding in the historical practices leading up to it. It's organized by region and is full of photographs and diagrams of historical designs, as well as interviews with contemporary tattooed Indigenous people. If more people learned about this history, there would be less stigma against Indigenous people with tattoos today, especially when it comes to facial tattoos.

African Dominion: A New History of Empire in Early and Medieval West Africa by Michael A. Gomez. This book has served as a fantastic introduction for me to the history of medieval West Africa. There were so many different kingdoms at the time that it can be hard to keep straight if you aren't familiar with African history (and like most people who went through the US educational system, I was not). Gomez breaks it all down in a very approachable way, starting with the ancient foundations then bringing you forward in time to the different medieval kingdoms. I love the way he combines archaeology and primary sources (usually Islamic travellers' narratives) to piece together the complex political world of medieval West Africa.

The Witch: A History of Fear, From Ancient Times to the Present by Ronald Hutton. When it comes to the history of popular religious belief, you can never go wrong with Ronald Hutton! I've previously recommended various books of his such as Blood and Mistletoe (about the history of druids) and The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. For this round, I'm recommending his fantastic book about witchcraft. He starts with a sweeping introduction about witchcraft around the world, and outlining the different ways historians and other commentators have approached the subject of witchcraft across time. The bulk of the book deals with Europe in particular. I really appreciated how he traced the development of various ideas such as the witches' sabbath, exposing the variety of pre-modern ideas that eventually crystallized into our modern folkloric image of "the witch."

Trafficking with Demons: Magic, Ritual, and Gender from Late Antiquity to 1000 by Martha Rampton. Also on the subject of witches, but with a more more explicitly feminist angle, Rampton's book looks at the relationship between magic and gender in late antique and early medieval Europe. I thought she did a fantastic job weaving together details from a huge variety of primary sources into a compelling narrative about changing attitudes towards women and magic in early European history.

Hi, I’d love recommendations for a global history of Communist thought. Less on the way the parties formed and struggled for power, more on the ideologies of different groups and individuals. I.e. a primer on Marx’s thought vs. Lenin’s vs. Stalin’s vs. Mao’s vs. Ho’s vs. Sankara’s, etc. The more information about Communist-affiliated ideology outside of Europe the better. Asia-focused would also be useful.

Also looking for very readable books about the Lesser Antilles for someone who doesn’t read a lot of history. Could be on any topic from any era, but a lot of what I see is from the colonial era, so something more modern would probably be more interesting for them.

Thanks!

Labour's Civil Wars: How Infighting Keeps the Left from Power (and What Can Be Done about It), by Patrick Diamond and Giles Radice.

In fact there are many good reads to found about the history of Britain's Labour party.

I cannot recommend enough William Sewell's The Logics of History.

Hey there historians, I have a plea for some recommendations. My twelve year old niece is getting into history, but is sick of medieval knights, military history, and the 'usual' pop history stuff. But she also doesn't want what she calls out as "stereotypical girly history". What she wants is something a bit off the beaten path, maybe a little bit dark/grim/gross (But not to much. She likes it, but her parents don't want her getting TO freaked out).

I've seen some excellent womens history books recommend here before, I picked up one on queenship I've seen mentioned a few times that I think she'll like, but any other ideas? Especially from our fabulous lady historians, and suggestions for "weird" books that got you hooked on history?

Have just read Iain Dale's book The Prime Ministers, and am now quite interested in finding about more about them, especially those in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The short-lived figures interest just as much if not more than the titans like Gladstone, Pitt etc Any recommendations?

Does anyone have a recommendation on books about the US 2nd Amendment

Hello everyone, I'm interested in books about the Italian Alpini. I can't find anything in English. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really appreciate it! It would be best if it's accessible to a layperson. Thanks very much!

Anyone know of any good books regarding Polish politics in the 1780s and 1790s, or about Tadeusz Kościuszko in particular?

Also, can anyone recommend good texts about the Serbian Revolution?

Any recommendations for relatively accessible books on medieval Rus and its neighbors? Not looking for anything too niche, just a general overview would be great.

Not sure if this thread is still active, but I just want to listen to some history on audible that is not pop history, any recommendations?