I love them I'm a total history buff, so yeah (taking AP Euro this year!) Right now I'm reading "3 Who Made a Revolution: a Biographical History of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin" and i was wondering if anyone else reads history books, too.
Yes, I love history books. I tend to go through "phases" - war history phase, Japanese history phase, NZ history phases, etc. I prefer ancient history to more recent history.
I do - or I used to when I had the time, pre- university days - I loved to read about ancient civiliazations and biblical history. Would often read boigraphies of prominent historical figures too. Nowadays the only history reading I do is out of a textbook for my history COURSE. And its not the stuff that interests me.
I used to never read history books, until my history teacher made me read Abbie Hoffmans stuff. Now basically all i read is 60's works, and have seriously learned to enjoy it. I also like WWII books, its so interseting see another persons perspective to a topic or a time. Its totally awesome!!!
i don't read them as much as i should, but i think that's great. history has always been fascinating to me, as well as current events. with so many great books out right now about history and american culture, it'd be inane not to. i think russian politics are particularly interesting, so i hope you enjoy.
i used to read a lot about indochina although to my shameful admittance i never once tried to read a book on irish history....bar maybe one on the I.R.A which was quite dull so i took to the nets for research instead. i found that a lto of history books were biased in a sense and found it hard to even out the whole spectrum. generally i only found this in the more recent history books though. i prefer myself to read about ancient civilizations and stuff like that because i just enjoy it more. they're quite interesting.
I tend to read a lot of historical fiction; novels with fictional characters but based on actual historical events. The most well-known such books are probably James Clavell’s "Shogun" (based on actual events but fictional characters) and Alex Hailey’s "Roots". I’ve been most fascinated by Colleen McCullough’s "Masters of Rome" series, recounting the fall of the Roman Republic, and bringing Gauis Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Julius Caeser to life. This technique makes historical reading less dry and gives it a sense of immediacy, if it’s well-written. Even though you know, before you begin, that Caeser ended up the first Roman Emperor, it’s interesting to read how it happened, and McCullough gives the characters and situations a sense of immediacy that most straight-out history books lack. Some other good ones are Ken Follett’s "Pillars of the Earth" (about building the first Gothic Cathedrals in England and France) and "A Dangerous Fortune" (about a Victorian England banking family). Also, Edward Rutherford’s "Sarum" (about the settlement of Salisbury plain, where Stonehenge is, and the history of that region) and "London" (a history of London from Roman times to WWII—although his characters tend to be a bit flat and stereotypical.)
I tend to dislike historical fiction. However, I love history books. I spent a lot of time studying African American history, the history of the American South and American Indian history. One of my favorite historians is Gary Kremer. A great author and expert on American Indian history is Larry Cebula. I think he only has one full length book, but his articles are great.
I have an intrest in the Civil War. I got interested when I found out the a battle took place right here in Vermont. Actually, some Confedrate soldiers sneaked up to St.Albans and robbed a bank and then took off for Cananda so I guess you would call it a raid.
i like ancient civilizations, but havent really gotten into it yet oer anything this being my freshman year in hs...but i am taking world history. i think war is one of the most interesting things to study.
I just finished A level history, so yes I've been reading plenty on the relevant topics. Of my own choosing I've a good collection about Tsar Nicholas II, his family etc. And I used to collect the 'horrible history' books, ended up with almost all of them. Oh and I've plenty of historical novels about loads of diffrent eras (Cold mountain, To kill a mockingbird, Birdsong, to name three).
