Don't Know Much About History . . .

[bluesqueak]

Cindy wrote:
> Has anyone read any good non-fiction history books they could 
recommend?  
> 
> I'm looking for something that is an entertaining read (as 
> contrasted to the dry-as-dust history books I was forced to read 
> in school), and I'm more interested in quality than subject 
> matter, really.  European history, Russian history, Chinese 
> history, African history . . . it all works for me.
> 
> Any ideas?

Galloping through cultures and countries:

A people's tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891 - 1924 Orlando Figes 
is a good overview of the Russian Revolution. 

The Scramble for Africa Thomas Pakenham is *the* classic on European 
colonialism in Africa, and is also a very good read. 

The Second World War (Abridged Version) Winston S. Churchill

Did you know that Sir Winston Churchill not only won the Nobel Prize 
for Literature, but also deserved it? As well as being a politician, 
he was a professional writer.

So unlike most ghost written political histories, this one is 
genuinely written by a major player - and it shows.

A History in Fragments: Europe in the 20th Century by Richard Vinen.
This one I haven't read myself, but it's been recommended to me.

Some specifically English history:

God's Englishman: Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution 
Christopher Hill

Christopher Hill is a left wing historian, but a good one. This is a 
history of Cromwell - the man who changed the history of Britain 
forever by legally executing a King.

Churchill: A life by Martin Gilbert. The best single volume history 
of Winston S. Churchill - Prime Minister during most of World War II 

Pip!Squeak