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World History 101
by Tom Head • 2017
From Sumer to NATO, the dozen turning points that made the modern world.
3.72
911
World History 101 Summary
World History 101 92%
From Sumer to NATO, the dozen turning points that made the modern world.
by Tom Head 2017
3.72
911 ratings
A Short History of the World
by Christopher Lascelles • 2011
Thirteen billion years in one short book: why empires fall, ideas spread, and everything connects.
3.86
2k+
A Short History of the World Summary
A Short History of the World 92%
Thirteen billion years in one short book: why empires fall, ideas spread, and everything connects.
by Christopher Lascelles 2011
3.86
2k+ ratings
Ancient Worlds
by Michael Scott • 2016
Democracy, republic, and Confucianism were born in the same century. None by design.
3.77
635
Ancient Worlds Summary
Ancient Worlds 91%
Democracy, republic, and Confucianism were born in the same century. None by design.
by Michael Scott 2016
3.77
635 ratings
A Little History of the World
by E.H. Gombrich • 1936
The whole human story, from cave paintings to the Cold War, in one short, elegant book.
4.10
32k+
A Little History of the World Summary
A Little History of the World 91%
The whole human story, from cave paintings to the Cold War, in one short, elegant book.
by E.H. Gombrich 1936
4.10
32k+ ratings
The History of the Ancient World
by Susan Wise Bauer • 2007
The recurring patterns that built and then quietly destroyed ancient civs from Sumer to Rome.
4.11
7k+
The History of the Ancient World Summary
The History of the Ancient World 91%
The recurring patterns that built and then quietly destroyed ancient civs from Sumer to Rome.
by Susan Wise Bauer 2007
4.11
7k+ ratings
The Lessons of History
by Will Durant • 1968
What forty centuries of history reveal: cycles, geography's grip, and the unchanging human drives.
4.05
21k+
The Lessons of History Summary
The Lessons of History 91%
What forty centuries of history reveal: cycles, geography's grip, and the unchanging human drives.
by Will Durant 1968
4.05
21k+ ratings
Day of Empire
by Amy Chua • 2007
Dominating the world has always required one thing: taking in the talent everyone else rejects.
3.77
999
Day of Empire Summary
Day of Empire 90%
Dominating the world has always required one thing: taking in the talent everyone else rejects.
by Amy Chua 2007
3.77
999 ratings
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
by Jack Weatherford • 2004
Genghis Khan's horde didn't just raze cities; it stitched Eurasia into a single connected world.
4.07
85k+
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World Summary
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World 90%
Genghis Khan's horde didn't just raze cities; it stitched Eurasia into a single connected world.
by Jack Weatherford 2004
4.07
85k+ ratings
Story of Civilization
by Will Durant • 1975
Civilization rests on four fragile foundations; remove one, and the whole structure collapses.
4.43
2k+
Story of Civilization Summary
Story of Civilization 90%
Civilization rests on four fragile foundations; remove one, and the whole structure collapses.
by Will Durant 1975
4.43
2k+ ratings
The Square and the Tower
by Niall Ferguson • 2017
The real shapers of history were not kings but the networks connecting everyone else.
3.65
4k+
The Square and the Tower Summary
The Square and the Tower 90%
The real shapers of history were not kings but the networks connecting everyone else.
by Niall Ferguson 2017
3.65
4k+ ratings
The Silk Roads
by Peter Frankopan • 2015
History looks different when you place the Silk Roads, not Europe, at the center of everything.
4.17
50k+
The Silk Roads Summary
The Silk Roads 90%
History looks different when you place the Silk Roads, not Europe, at the center of everything.
by Peter Frankopan 2015
4.17
50k+ ratings
My Fellow Soldiers
by Andrew Carroll • 2017
Pershing built an American army; the soldiers' letters reveal a victory that shattered the world.
4.22
379
My Fellow Soldiers Summary
My Fellow Soldiers 90%
Pershing built an American army; the soldiers' letters reveal a victory that shattered the world.
by Andrew Carroll 2017
4.22
379 ratings
From Silk to Silicon
by Jeffrey E. Garten • 2016
Ten lives shrank the planet more than any trade pact, and none of them meant to.
3.87
878
From Silk to Silicon Summary
From Silk to Silicon 90%
Ten lives shrank the planet more than any trade pact, and none of them meant to.
by Jeffrey E. Garten 2016
3.87
878 ratings
War! What Is It Good For?
by Ian Morris • 2014
Ten thousand years of war made the world ten times safer. The paradox behind that claim.
3.95
2k+
War! What Is It Good For? Summary
War! What Is It Good For? 90%
Ten thousand years of war made the world ten times safer. The paradox behind that claim.
by Ian Morris 2014
3.95
2k+ ratings
The Habsburgs
by Martyn Rady • 2020
The millennium-long dynasty ruling Europe through marriage, forgery, and propaganda, not just war.
3.86
3k+
The Habsburgs Summary
The Habsburgs 90%
The millennium-long dynasty ruling Europe through marriage, forgery, and propaganda, not just war.
by Martyn Rady 2020
3.86
3k+ ratings
A Short History of the World in 50 Lies
by Natasha Tidd • 2023
A forged document, a faked war, an imaginary country: the lies that changed history.
3.60
2k+
A Short History of the World in 50 Lies Summary
A Short History of the World in 50 Lies 90%
A forged document, a faked war, an imaginary country: the lies that changed history.
by Natasha Tidd 2023
3.60
2k+ ratings
The Age of Extremes, 1914-1991
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1994
1914 to 1991: a single age shaped by total war, ideological faith, and capitalism's serial failures.
4.29
8k+
The Age of Extremes, 1914-1991 Summary
The Age of Extremes, 1914-1991 90%
1914 to 1991: a single age shaped by total war, ideological faith, and capitalism's serial failures.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1994
4.29
8k+ ratings
The Persian Empire
by John W.I. Lee • 2012
Greek histories painted Persia as despotism. The empire's own record tells a different story.
4.10
520
The Persian Empire Summary
The Persian Empire 90%
Greek histories painted Persia as despotism. The empire's own record tells a different story.
by John W.I. Lee 2012
4.10
520 ratings
50 Battles That Changed the World
by William Weir • 2001
From Marathon to Stalingrad, fifty clashes that decided who rules and what we believe.
3.65
288
50 Battles That Changed the World Summary
50 Battles That Changed the World 90%
From Marathon to Stalingrad, fifty clashes that decided who rules and what we believe.
by William Weir 2001
3.65
288 ratings
To End All Wars
by Adam Hochschild • 2011
A general led Britain's army. His sister led its pacifists. The Great War as family feud.
4.14
9k+
To End All Wars Summary
To End All Wars 90%
A general led Britain's army. His sister led its pacifists. The Great War as family feud.
by Adam Hochschild 2011
4.14
9k+ ratings
Empires in World History
by Jane Burbank • 2010
Empires managed human difference for two millennia. The nation-state is barely sixty.
3.98
430
Empires in World History Summary
Empires in World History 90%
Empires managed human difference for two millennia. The nation-state is barely sixty.
by Jane Burbank 2010
3.98
430 ratings
Empire
by Niall Ferguson • 2003
Piracy, sugar, and debt built the largest empire ever. The collapse outpaced the climb.
3.93
10k+
Empire Summary
Empire 90%
Piracy, sugar, and debt built the largest empire ever. The collapse outpaced the climb.
by Niall Ferguson 2003
3.93
10k+ ratings
Glimpses of World History
by Jawaharlal Nehru • 1934
From a British prison cell, a jailed father teaches his daughter all of world history.
4.32
2k+
Glimpses of World History Summary
Glimpses of World History 90%
From a British prison cell, a jailed father teaches his daughter all of world history.
by Jawaharlal Nehru 1934
4.32
2k+ ratings
The First World War
by John Keegan • 1999
A war launched by timetables, not intentions, that killed ten million before anyone could halt it.
4.05
16k+
The First World War Summary
The First World War 90%
A war launched by timetables, not intentions, that killed ten million before anyone could halt it.
by John Keegan 1999
4.05
16k+ ratings
7 Tipping Points That Saved the World
by Chris Stewart • 2011
Seven narrow escapes that saved the West. Remove any one, and democracy and Christianity vanish.
3.97
2k+
7 Tipping Points That Saved the World Summary
7 Tipping Points That Saved the World 90%
Seven narrow escapes that saved the West. Remove any one, and democracy and Christianity vanish.
by Chris Stewart 2011
3.97
2k+ ratings
World War One
by Daniel Wrinn • 2021
Scuttling a ship, leaping from a train, fighting in Eden: the Great War you haven't read.
3.91
54
World War One Summary
World War One 90%
Scuttling a ship, leaping from a train, fighting in Eden: the Great War you haven't read.
by Daniel Wrinn 2021
3.91
54 ratings
Modern Times
by Paul Johnson • 1983
Einstein and Freud dismantled the old moral universe. Into the void stepped the totalitarians.
4.29
3k+
Modern Times Summary
Modern Times 90%
Einstein and Freud dismantled the old moral universe. Into the void stepped the totalitarians.
by Paul Johnson 1983
4.29
3k+ ratings
Why Did Europe Conquer the World?
by Philip T. Hoffman • 2015
Centuries of war among Europe's tiny states forged the machine that would conquer the world.
3.42
257
Why Did Europe Conquer the World? Summary
Why Did Europe Conquer the World? 90%
Centuries of war among Europe's tiny states forged the machine that would conquer the world.
by Philip T. Hoffman 2015
3.42
257 ratings
Diplomacy
by Joseph M. Siracusa • 2010
How a handful of treaties, a flawed peace, and a napkin deal carved up the map.
3.14
245
Diplomacy Summary
Diplomacy 90%
How a handful of treaties, a flawed peace, and a napkin deal carved up the map.
by Joseph M. Siracusa 2010
3.14
245 ratings
The Sleepwalkers
by Christopher Clark • 2012
Why Europe's leaders, watching the storm gather in 1914, walked their nations straight into it.
4.24
14k+
The Sleepwalkers Summary
The Sleepwalkers 90%
Why Europe's leaders, watching the storm gather in 1914, walked their nations straight into it.
by Christopher Clark 2012
4.24
14k+ ratings
Dangerous Games
by Margaret MacMillan • 2008
History is never neutral. Nations and leaders weaponize it daily, and the patterns are predictable.
3.64
2k+
Dangerous Games Summary
Dangerous Games 90%
History is never neutral. Nations and leaders weaponize it daily, and the patterns are predictable.
by Margaret MacMillan 2008
3.64
2k+ ratings
A Study of History, Abridgement of Vols 1-6
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee • 1987
History's pattern: empires die, and their true heirs are the churches they tried to crush.
4.11
543
A Study of History, Abridgement of Vols 1-6 Summary
A Study of History, Abridgement of Vols 1-6 90%
History's pattern: empires die, and their true heirs are the churches they tried to crush.
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee 1987
4.11
543 ratings
The Thirty Years War
by Peter H. Wilson • 2009
Eight million died, and it wasn't a holy war. It was an empire's constitutional collapse.
3.90
2k+
The Thirty Years War Summary
The Thirty Years War 90%
Eight million died, and it wasn't a holy war. It was an empire's constitutional collapse.
by Peter H. Wilson 2009
3.90
2k+ ratings
Against the World
by Tara Zahra • 2023
Globalism was not undone by accident. Voters, left out of its gains, dismantled it on purpose.
3.96
254
Against the World Summary
Against the World 90%
Globalism was not undone by accident. Voters, left out of its gains, dismantled it on purpose.
by Tara Zahra 2023
3.96
254 ratings
Germany in the World
by David Blackbourn • 2023
Germany's history from 1500 is a global story of trade, migration, and mass murder.
3.82
85
Germany in the World Summary
Germany in the World 90%
Germany's history from 1500 is a global story of trade, migration, and mass murder.
by David Blackbourn 2023
3.82
85 ratings
Civilization on Trial
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee • 1948
Civilizations rise to fall, religions to climb. The rubble is the mechanism, not the failure.
3.83
152
Civilization on Trial Summary
Civilization on Trial 90%
Civilizations rise to fall, religions to climb. The rubble is the mechanism, not the failure.
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee 1948
3.83
152 ratings
Conquests and Cultures
by Thomas Sowell • 1998
Geography blocked Africa, conquests lifted Britain, and human capital explains the gap.
4.44
964
Conquests and Cultures Summary
Conquests and Cultures 90%
Geography blocked Africa, conquests lifted Britain, and human capital explains the gap.
by Thomas Sowell 1998
4.44
964 ratings
Human Smoke
by Nicholson Baker • 2008
Before the Holocaust, the Allies closed doors, starved civilians, and firebombed cities.
4.06
2k+
Human Smoke Summary
Human Smoke 90%
Before the Holocaust, the Allies closed doors, starved civilians, and firebombed cities.
by Nicholson Baker 2008
4.06
2k+ ratings
Early Modern Europe, 1450–1789
by Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks • 2006
The very idea of 'Europe' was invented in the era we call early modern.
3.96
447
Early Modern Europe, 1450–1789 Summary
Early Modern Europe, 1450–1789 90%
The very idea of 'Europe' was invented in the era we call early modern.
by Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks 2006
3.96
447 ratings
The Good Book
by A.C. Grayling • 2011
King Croesus asked a philosopher who was the happiest man alive. The answer destroyed him.
3.71
902
The Good Book Summary
The Good Book 90%
King Croesus asked a philosopher who was the happiest man alive. The answer destroyed him.
by A.C. Grayling 2011
3.71
902 ratings
Genghis Khan
by John Man • 2004
16 million men share his chromosome. His empire reshaped Eurasia. His grave has never been found.
3.72
2k+
Genghis Khan Summary
Genghis Khan 90%
16 million men share his chromosome. His empire reshaped Eurasia. His grave has never been found.
by John Man 2004
3.72
2k+ ratings
A World Undone
by G.J. Meyer • 2006
One assassination, a web of rigid plans, and leaders who couldn't stop what they started.
4.37
9k+
A World Undone Summary
A World Undone 90%
One assassination, a web of rigid plans, and leaders who couldn't stop what they started.
by G.J. Meyer 2006
4.37
9k+ ratings
Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War"
by Patrick J. Buchanan • 2008
Britain's empire fell not to war but to a diplomatic blunder that handed the world to its rivals.
4.21
2k+
Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War" Summary
Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War" 90%
Britain's empire fell not to war but to a diplomatic blunder that handed the world to its rivals.
by Patrick J. Buchanan 2008
4.21
2k+ ratings
Paris, 1919
by Margaret MacMillan • 2001
Three men, six months, and the flawed peace that redrew the map of the modern world.
4.13
15k+
Paris, 1919 Summary
Paris, 1919 90%
Three men, six months, and the flawed peace that redrew the map of the modern world.
by Margaret MacMillan 2001
4.13
15k+ ratings
Heart of Europe
by Peter H. Wilson • 2016
Twice as old as imperial Rome, this was a political order built on compromise, not command.
3.75
1k+
Heart of Europe Summary
Heart of Europe 90%
Twice as old as imperial Rome, this was a political order built on compromise, not command.
by Peter H. Wilson 2016
3.75
1k+ ratings
The Heart of the Declaration
by Steve Pincus • 2016
The Declaration was not a small-government manifesto but a blueprint for a powerful, activist state.
3.64
36
The Heart of the Declaration Summary
The Heart of the Declaration 89%
The Declaration was not a small-government manifesto but a blueprint for a powerful, activist state.
by Steve Pincus 2016
3.64
36 ratings
Defenders of the West
by Raymond Ibrahim • 2022
For a thousand years, Islam pushed into Europe. Eight forgotten warriors pushed back and won.
4.65
1k+
Defenders of the West Summary
Defenders of the West 89%
For a thousand years, Islam pushed into Europe. Eight forgotten warriors pushed back and won.
by Raymond Ibrahim 2022
4.65
1k+ ratings
The Age of Empire, 1875–1914
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1987
How the world's first globalization, built on empire and mass politics, made a world war inevitable.
4.27
5k+
The Age of Empire, 1875–1914 Summary
The Age of Empire, 1875–1914 89%
How the world's first globalization, built on empire and mass politics, made a world war inevitable.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1987
4.27
5k+ ratings
A Study of History, abridged
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee • 1957
History's real units are civilizations, not nations. Their collapses conceal a spiritual purpose.
4.10
224
A Study of History, abridged Summary
A Study of History, abridged 89%
History's real units are civilizations, not nations. Their collapses conceal a spiritual purpose.
by Arnold Joseph Toynbee 1957
4.10
224 ratings
Dominion
by Tom Holland • 2019
Secularism, human rights, even atheism: a historian shows why these are all products of the cross.
4.26
12k+
Dominion Summary
Dominion 89%
Secularism, human rights, even atheism: a historian shows why these are all products of the cross.
by Tom Holland 2019
4.26
12k+ ratings
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