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What History books have you read that you would recommend for other people to read?

Let's start a summer reading list for History.

I liked How the States Got Their Shapes. The book is divided into chapters by state, so you can pick and choose what you want to read. Some parts were a bit too detailed, and I admit I didn't read all 50, but there was a lot of really interesting info that I didn't know before!

OH, I like. I've got to read it. I have to admit that lately I've slacked on my reading, but I'm getting back into it. I miss it so much.

Books on History that I recommend include:

Books written by:
Stephen Ambrose
Doris Kerns Goodwin
David McCullough
Barbara Tuchman

1."The Origin of Humankind" by Richard Leakey
2."American Colonies" by Alan Taylor
3."Miracle At Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention May to September 1787" by Catherine D. Bowen
4."1812: The War That Forged a Nation" by Walter R. Borneman
5."Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin
6."The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle: Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot Robert Morgan
7."The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II" by Iris Chang
8."The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer
"Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier" by Siegfried Knappe
9."A General's Life: An Autobiography" by General Omar N. Bradley

These are a few good books of History

I read Miracle at Philadelphia a long time ago. It was good. Will have to read it again.

People really need to read "Miracle at Philadelphia" to get a better understanding of the of the U.S. Constitution and the great difficulty in creating. It's creation was a miracle in many respects. There had never been anything previously like it in the history of the world. Members of the Constitutional Convention had extreme difficulty on forming a consensus in its creation, especially regarding how representation in Congress was to be proportioned between the states. The creation of the Constitution was a miracle. It is a miracle that has survived and sustained the Unites States for over 220 years, since 1787.

On the Fourth of July I recommend, instead of just fireworks, we read the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Let's us remind ourselves what we celebrate the day for.

Very good idea. In all honesty when was the last time anyone read either one of them?

(Last month, I read the Declaration of Independence because my son did in school.)

I recommend the following:

1776 by David McCullough
What Hath God Wrought by Daniel Walker Howe
The Era of Good Feelings by George Dangerfield
The Story of the Constitution by Sol Bloom
The Revolutionary Years By Mortimer J. Adler
Across The Wide Missouri by Bernard De Voto
Franklin D. Roosevelt by Alden Hatch

Nice list.

David McCullough is always good. I listened to his book on the "Jonestown Flood" which was fascinating. I have a copy of "What Hath God Wrought?" but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Currently, I am listening to a biography of President Andrew Jackson, I believe the book is titled "American Lion".

Thanks for the list.

I hope we get more reading suggestions.

I'm soon going to be reading Wallace. I would love to know the truth behind the movie Braveheart. Because in reality, movies usually tend to bend the truth a little

Does anybody have Ancient History book suggestions?

I've read a few books on Andrew Jackson. The one thing that puzzles me about his life is what he knew about Aaron Burr's plans and how supportive he was about them. Was his aid merely Southern hospitality or somthing more substantial? The history books I've read are very murky about this point.

I've been reading up on him lately, too. Seems several people knew of Burr's plans yet their motives are unclear. Jackson was very proud of being from the south and was a very intelligent man. He was also like many of that time arrogant in politics and with people. I'll have to look further into this. Thanks. I'll let you know what I find.

Rebecca -

I know this is a bit of a long shot, but also on the Burr Conspiracy question. Is it possible that Alexander Hamilton was killed in a duel in order to shut him up because he was in the know about Aaron Burr's plans and the duel was just a trumped up story to prevent him from making public what Burr was up to? I guess the duel was about 2 years before Burr's conspiracy trial. But considering the time needed for his plans to be financed and supplies obtained it doesn't seem too unlikely that Burr's plot would be created and worked on even at the time of the duel.

That's a thought, and from what I've seen it is possible. You are right in that such a plot could not be hatched overnight, and Hamilton and Burr never did get along. It could be that Hamilton found out and fell right into a plan for Burr to get rid of a pain in his side and protect his secret which really wasn't a secret in the end.

Politics was even dirtier back then and murder was not out of the question. It could also be a case of just stupidity and hatred with Hamilton totally innocent in the knowledge of the plot.