Good books and other resources?

[Losvedir]

Until now I've been pretty apathetic about history, but lately I've been wanting to learn more about it. Can anyone recommend good books about interesting topics? World War 1, Egyptian history, Chinese dynasties -- anything will do as long as the book is well written and easy to read.

I'm pretty far behind in terms of history, but general "history of the world" type books usually aren't as interesting to me as books that look at specific topics. Eventually I'll have enough specific topics as a framework to really enjoy a broad history of the world, but not yet. That said, I could see how a broad history could make the individual topics make more sense in context, but I don't think my brain works that way. Maybe I just haven't read any good broad history books.

As for recommendation: Battlefield Britain is a really good TV series that talks about battles that happened on British soil.

[Dave G]

Until now I've been pretty apathetic about history, but lately I've been wanting to learn more about it. Can anyone recommend good books about interesting topics? World War 1, Egyptian history, Chinese dynasties -- anything will do as long as the book is well written and easy to read.

I'm pretty far behind in terms of history, but general "history of the world" type books usually aren't as interesting to me as books that look at specific topics. Eventually I'll have enough specific topics as a framework to really enjoy a broad history of the world, but not yet. That said, I could see how a broad history could make the individual topics make more sense in context, but I don't think my brain works that way. Maybe I just haven't read any good broad history books.

As for recommendation: Battlefield Britain is a really good TV series that talks about battles that happened on British soil.

Do you like subject histories? History of science, history of literature, that sort of thing?

[Losvedir]

Do you like subject histories? History of science, history of literature, that sort of thing?

I can't say that I've ever read one, so maybe.

[NJon]

It's not a book, but I like http://www.historybuff.com/
It also publishes a free newsletter which is pretty informative.

The History Channel is always a good bet, as is the PBS series Revolution! if you're interested in the American Revolution. Both of these things, though, and resources like them, can sometimes embellish or sensationalize history to make it more entertaining to the masses. But for the most part, they tend to stay fairly accurate.

[learning]

I'ld highly recommend a children's book, by Usborne, that is 'Time Tables of History'
Look up Usborne on the net to find your local seller of these books, or check out any major book store.

This carries the time tables of history with Britain, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, etc. and north and south America. It is really interesting to see when the central and south american civilizations and Chinese and Japanese civilizations were at when the European nations were developing. It helps to put a lot into perspective.

[Dave G]

Ok...
Here are a couple of General History books that have interesting foci:
The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant; it is in ten volumes, and every volume has a topic, so that might fit your wants. I think the beginning volume is Our Oriental Heritage.
The History of Western Civilization is another general work, but it is arranged by topical outline, so you can skip whatever you want. It is easy to read. It was written by William MacNeill, and is subtitled "A Handbook".
You might want to try the GRE study guide for history, good stuff there.

From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 to the Present; 500 Years of Cultural Life by Jacques Barzun is a great read. The time from 1500 to the present is considered the Modern Age by most historians. It's an amazing book considering French is Barzun's first language and he wrote it in English himself.

I know you don't want general history books, I'll list some with specific topics a little later.

[Dave G]

I'ld highly recommend a children's book, by Usborne, that is 'Time Tables of History'
Look up Usborne on the net to find your local seller of these books, or check out any major book store.

This carries the time tables of history with Britain, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, etc. and north and south America. It is really interesting to see when the central and south american civilizations and Chinese and Japanese civilizations were at when the European nations were developing. It helps to put a lot into perspective.

The Time Tables is a great book, just not too easy to read if you aren't looking for something specific already. I think I bought my copy for 15 dollars, which is cheap for such a good reference book.

[Nicholas]

The book Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond is a pretty interesting read.