Reading History Books (WW2, ancient, war, Roman)

[Thyra]

Does anyone else read history just for enjoyment? I am always looking for suggestions on early German and midievel periods.

[Mrs. H]

I was a history major and read some interesting historical books. My emphasis was mainly in european history, after 1600, so I am not sure if I have any good recommendations. However, when I get home from work, I'll check to see what books I still have and let you know.

[GoddessofRandomThoughts]

I actually learn a lot of history from reading fiction books set in a specific time.
Most of the authors have studied or have degrees in History. The books always make me want to explore the time period or a certain subject further.(and I often do)
I have listed some of my fave series with authors and Main characters. I also listed the period they cover.
(to answer the question I do read some regular history books but they are usually a little dry and so I can only read them in small bite size pieces)

Steven Saylor (broken link)
Gordianus the Finder (broken link)
Roman Blood, 1994
Catalina's Riddle, 1994
Arms of Nemesis, 1995
The Venus Throw, 1996
A Murder on the Appian Way, 1997
The House of the Vestals
"Roma Sub Rosa"
Mysteries set in the final years of ancient Rome, c.80 BC

Lindsey Davis (broken link)
Marcus Didius Falco (broken link)
Silver Pigs, 1989
Shadows in Bronze, 1993
Venus in Copper, 1993
The Iron Hand of Mars, 1994
Last Act in Palmyra, 1997
Time to Depart, 1997
A Dying Light in Corduba, 1998
Three Coins in the Fountain
Rome, 70 AD

Peter Tremayne
Sister Fidelma
Absolution by Murder, 1994
A Shroud for the Archbishop
Suffer Little Children
The Subtle Serpent
Ireland/England, 664 A.D

Sharan Newman
Catherine Levendeur
Death Comes as Epiphany, 1993
The Devil's Door, 1995
The Wandering Arm, 1996
Strong as Death, 1996
Cursed in the Blood, 1998
The series begins in 1139, when Catherine is a novice at the convent of the Paraclete, where Heloise is the Abbess. The history of Heloise and Abelard is woven into the novels, along with observations of the life of Jews in 12th Century France.

Ellis Peters (broken link)
Brother Cadfael (broken link)
A Morbid Taste for Bones, 1977
One Corpse Too Many, 1979
Monks-Hood, 1980
Saint Peter's Fair, 1981
The Leper of Saint Giles, 1981
many, many, more
A monk in 12th Century England investigates suspicious deaths.

P.C. Doherty as
C. L. Grace
Kathryn Swinbrooke
A Shrine of Murders,1993
The Eye of God
The Merchant of Death
The Book of Shadows
A woman physician in 15th century Canterbury

P.C. Doherty as Michael Clynes
Sir Roger Shallot
The White Rose Murders, 1993
The Poisoned Chalice, 1994
The Grail Murders, 1994
A Brood of Vipers, 1996
The Gallows Murders, 1996
The Relic Murders
a rogue operating during the time of Henry VIII

P.C. Doherty as Ann Dukthas
Nicholas Segalla,
Time Traveller
A Time For The Death Of A King - Scotland, 16th c.
The Prince Lost To Time - Paris, 1815
The Time Of Murder At Mayerling - Austria, 1899
In The Time Of The Poisoned Queen - England, 1558

P.C. Doherty
Hugh Corbett
Satan in St. Mary's, 1987
The Crown in Darkness, 1988
Spy in Chancery, 1988
Angel of Death, 1990
The Prince of Darkness
Murder Wears A Cowl
The Assassin In The Greenwood
The Song of A Dark Angel
Satan's Fire
The Devil's Hunt
13th Century England, investigations by Edward I's senior clerk in chancery

[Six Foot Three]

Originally Posted by Trudeyrose

Does anyone else read history just for enjoyment? I am always looking for suggestions on early German and midievel periods.

I used to all the time as i'd go to the public libraries but now with the internet i will spend hours on a weekend sometimes on wikipedia and research away. I think my Gramps who fought in Geemany in WW2 and Korea always told me stories about his adventures at those places when i was a kid made history come alive so to speak.

Just last week i was reading up on the French Revolution and the Execution (Guillotine) of the King Louie XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France.

[Mooseketeer]

Originally Posted by GoddessofRandomThoughts

I actually learn a lot of history from reading fiction books set in a specific time.
Most of the authors have studied or have degrees in History. The books always make me want to explore the time period or a certain subject further.(and I often do)
I have listed some of my fave series with authors and Main characters. I also listed the period they cover.
(to answer the question I do read some regular history books but they are usually a little dry and so I can only read them in small bite size pieces)

Steven Saylor
Gordianus the Finder
Roman Blood, 1994
Catalina's Riddle, 1994
Arms of Nemesis, 1995
The Venus Throw, 1996
A Murder on the Appian Way, 1997
The House of the Vestals
"Roma Sub Rosa"
Mysteries set in the final years of ancient Rome, c.80 BC

Lindsey Davis (broken link)
Marcus Didius Falco (broken link)
Silver Pigs, 1989
Shadows in Bronze, 1993
Venus in Copper, 1993
The Iron Hand of Mars, 1994
Last Act in Palmyra, 1997
Time to Depart, 1997
A Dying Light in Corduba, 1998
Three Coins in the Fountain
Rome, 70 AD

Peter Tremayne
Sister Fidelma
Absolution by Murder, 1994
A Shroud for the Archbishop
Suffer Little Children
The Subtle Serpent
Ireland/England, 664 A.D

Sharan Newman
Catherine Levendeur
Death Comes as Epiphany, 1993
The Devil's Door, 1995
The Wandering Arm, 1996
Strong as Death, 1996
Cursed in the Blood, 1998
The series begins in 1139, when Catherine is a novice at the convent of the Paraclete, where Heloise is the Abbess. The history of Heloise and Abelard is woven into the novels, along with observations of the life of Jews in 12th Century France.

Ellis Peters (broken link)
Brother Cadfael (broken link)
A Morbid Taste for Bones, 1977
One Corpse Too Many, 1979
Monks-Hood, 1980
Saint Peter's Fair, 1981
The Leper of Saint Giles, 1981
many, many, more
A monk in 12th Century England investigates suspicious deaths.

P.C. Doherty as
C. L. Grace
Kathryn Swinbrooke
A Shrine of Murders,1993
The Eye of God
The Merchant of Death
The Book of Shadows
A woman physician in 15th century Canterbury

P.C. Doherty as Michael Clynes
Sir Roger Shallot
The White Rose Murders, 1993
The Poisoned Chalice, 1994
The Grail Murders, 1994
A Brood of Vipers, 1996
The Gallows Murders, 1996
The Relic Murders
a rogue operating during the time of Henry VIII

P.C. Doherty as Ann Dukthas
Nicholas Segalla,
Time Traveller
A Time For The Death Of A King - Scotland, 16th c.
The Prince Lost To Time - Paris, 1815
The Time Of Murder At Mayerling - Austria, 1899
In The Time Of The Poisoned Queen - England, 1558

P.C. Doherty
Hugh Corbett
Satan in St. Mary's, 1987
The Crown in Darkness, 1988
Spy in Chancery, 1988
Angel of Death, 1990
The Prince of Darkness
Murder Wears A Cowl
The Assassin In The Greenwood
The Song of A Dark Angel
Satan's Fire
The Devil's Hunt
13th Century England, investigations by Edward I's senior clerk in chancery

Some of my very favourites though I would also add :

Susanna Gregory ( Matthew Bartholomew set during and after the bubonic plague in Cambridge and Thomas Chaloner books set during Restoration England)
Edward Marston ( Doomsday mysteries)
Ian Morson ( 14th century Oxford)
PC Doherty ( Brother Aethelstan mysteries)
Michael Jecks ( Templar mysteries, medieval Cornwall)
Rosemary Rowe ( Roman England)
Candace Robb ( Owen the archer mysteries)

And my new favourite ( apart from Lindsey Davis and Peter Tremayne) CJ Samson set during the dissolution of the monasteries ( "Dissolution", "Dark fire", "Sovereign")

[Mooseketeer]

As an Archaeologist I have hundreds of reference history books and specialised books but my favourite mainstream ones are all the history books by Michael Wood and Simon Schama, both wonderful historians ( and TV historians) as they both bring the past so vividly to life.


Michael Wood books :

In Search of the Dark Ages (1981)
In Search of the Trojan War (1985)
Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England (1988)
Legacy: A Search for the Origins of Civilization (1992)
The Smile of Murugan: A South Indian Journey (1995)
In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (1997)
In Search of England: Journeys Into the English Past (1999)
Conquistadors (2000)
Shakespeare (2003)
In Search of Myths and Heroes (2005)
India: An Epic Journey Across the Subcontinent (2007)


Simon Schama :

Patriots and Liberators: Revolution in the Netherlands 1780–1813 (1977)
Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel (1978)
The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age (1987)
Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution
Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations (1991)
Landscape and Memory (1995)
Rembrandt's Eyes (1999)
A History of Britain Vol. I (2000, ISBN 0-563-48714-3)
A History of Britain Vol. II (2001, ISBN 0-563-48718-6)
A History of Britain Vol. III (2002, ISBN 0-563-48719-4)
Hang Ups: Essays on Art (2005)
Rough Crossings (2005, ISBN 0-06-053916-X)
The Power of Art (2006, ISBN 0-06-117610-9)

[arguy1973]

I read history books, especially those associated with WWII and that time period.
Michael Balfour, Propaganda in War 1939-1945: Organisations, Policies and Publics in Britain and Germany (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1979).

Jay W. Baird, To Die for Germany: Heroes in the Nazi Pantheon (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990).

Jay W. Baird, The Mythical World of Nazi War Propaganda, 1939-1945 (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1974).

[GoddessofRandomThoughts]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

Some of my very favourites though I would also add :

Susanna Gregory ( Matthew Bartholomew set during and after the bubonic plague in Cambridge and Thomas Chaloner books set during Restoration England)
Edward Marston ( Doomsday mysteries)
Ian Morson ( 14th century Oxford)
PC Doherty ( Brother Aethelstan mysteries)
Michael Jecks ( Templar mysteries, medieval Cornwall)
Rosemary Rowe ( Roman England)
Candace Robb ( Owen the archer mysteries)

And my new favourite ( apart from Lindsey Davis and Peter Tremayne) CJ Samson set during the dissolution of the monasteries ( "Dissolution", "Dark fire", "Sovereign")

Love almost anything by PC Doherty.
Definitely have read Robb's Owen the Archer series, have tried to read Jenks series but just can't seem to get into it.
Have you read Sharon Kay Penman?

And I don't know how I could have neglected to mention Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series. I swear everytime I read one I want to head to Egypt!

I also love Alan Gordon's Fool's Guild Mysteries (medieval time period) I think the first book was 13th Night.

Hmm there is another series that totally eludes me now???
Something about a guy that travels selling things , medieval maybe ( I know there is a name for his profession but that also eludes me).

Ooooo, looks like a definite case of CRS!


I am sure serious history buffs will think me horrible, but I really like the books that give short ....let's call them chips of history. You know the kind you can read pieces of inbetween the other stuff I am reading

[Rhett_Butler]

Oh hey, Historical Fiction..... If you want some entertaining trash I recommend John Jakes "The Kent Family Chronicles"... If you like American History they're a fun read basically tracking a family through the history of America from Pre-Revolution through the late 1800s....

[Thyra]

WOW!! What a nice suprise to find this new site this morning !!
Thanks for all the great suggestions.
Moose, I will be checking out some of your recomendations. I can trace my Grandfather's side back to the 1300's.. in Rattlesden and Hitcham(Kimball.Kembold, and other spellings. )

I really started my interest in History after a trip to Bavaria. You could just "feel" the history everywhere! I had so many questions, so I started researching and reading. I especialy like Norman Davies and Norman Cantor. I have found answers to most of my questions, but am to the point where I just want to keep learning more! Books on German history mostly deal with WW1 & 2,but I have managed to find several good ones going all the way back to 300 CE and through the Middle Ages up to the present.
Look forward to visiting here often!