Andys Favorite History
Explore Andy's Favorite History books with this curated list of top picks. Discover must-read historical titles recommended by Andy for history enthusiasts.
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The Guns of August
by Barbara W. Tuchman
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER ⢠âA brilliant piece of military history which proves up to the hilt the force of Winston Churchillâs statement that the first month of World War I was âa drama never surpassed.âââNewsweek Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time In this landmark account, renowned historian Barbara W. Tuchman re-creates the first month of World War I: thirty days in the summer of 1914 that determined the course of the conflict, the century, and ultimately our present world. Beginning with the funeral of Edward VII, Tuchman traces each step that led to the inevitable clash. And inevitable it was, with all sides plotting their war for a generation. Dizzyingly comprehensive and spectacularly portrayed with her famous talent for evoking the characters of the warâs key players, Tuchmanâs magnum opus is a classic for the ages. The Proud Tower, the Pulitzer Prizeâwinning The Guns of August, and The Zimmermann Telegram comprise Barbara W. Tuchmanâs classic histories of the First World War era
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Battle Cry of Freedom
by James M. McPherson
Filled with fresh interpretations and information, puncturing old myths and challenging new ones, Battle Cry of Freedom will unquestionably become the standard one-volume history of the Civil War. James McPherson's fast-paced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in Mexico to the ending of another at Appomattox. Packed with drama and analytical insight, the book vividly recounts the momentous episodes that preceded the Civil Warâthe Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferryâand then moves into a masterful chronicle of the war itselfâthe battles, the strategic maneuvering on both sides, the politics, and the personalities.
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The Rising Sun
by John Toland
â[The Rising Sun] is quite possibly the most readable, yet informative account of the Pacific war.ââChicago Sun-Times This Pulitzer Prizeâwinning history of World War II chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Japanese empire, from the invasion of Manchuria and China to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Told from the Japanese perspective, The Rising Sun is, in the authorâs words, âa factual saga of people caught up in the flood of the most overwhelming war of mankind, told as it happenedâmuddled, ennobling, disgraceful, frustrating, full of paradox.â In weaving together the historical facts and human drama leading up to and culminating in the war in the Pacific, Toland crafts a riveting and unbiased narrative history. In his Foreword, Toland says that if we are to draw any conclusion from The Rising Sun, it is âthat there are no simple lessons in history, that it is human nature that repeats itself, not history.â âUnbelievably rich . . . readable and exciting . . .The best parts of [Tolandâs] book are not the battle scenes but the intimate view he gives of the highest reaches of Tokyo politics.ââNewsweek
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The Great Crash, 1929
by John Kenneth Galbraith
An examination of the stock market crash of 1929.
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Undaunted Courage
by Stephen E. Ambrose
From the New York Times bestselling author of Band of Brothers and D-Day, the definitive book on Lewis and Clarkâs exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, the most momentous expedition in American history and one of the great adventure stories of all time. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River to the Rockies, over the mountains, down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, and back. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, made the first map of the trans-Mississippi West, provided invaluable scientific data on the flora and fauna of the Louisiana Purchase territory, and established the American claim to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Ambrose has pieced together previously unknown information about weather, terrain, and medical knowledge at the time to provide a vivid backdrop for the expedition. Lewis is supported by a rich variety of colorful characters, first of all Jefferson himself, whose interest in exploring and acquiring the American West went back thirty years. Next comes Clark, a rugged frontiersman whose love for Lewis matched Jeffersonâs. There are numerous Indian chiefs, and Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition, along with the French-Indian hunter Drouillard, the great naturalists of Philadelphia, the French and Spanish fur traders of St. Louis, John Quincy Adams, and many more leading political, scientific, and military figures of the turn of the century. High adventure, high politics, suspense, drama, and diplomacy combine with high romance and personal tragedy to make this outstanding work of scholarship as readable as a novel.
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The Right Stuff
by Tom Wolfe
From "America's nerviest journalist" (Newsweek)--a breath-taking epic, a magnificent adventure story, and an investigation into the true heroism and courage of the first Americans to conquer space. "Tom Wolfe at his very best" (The New York Times Book Review)
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Vietnam
by Stanley Karnow
"A landmark work...The most complete account to date of the Vietnam tragedy." -The Washington Post Book World This monumental narrative clarifies, analyzes, and demystifies the tragic ordeal of the Vietnam war. Free of ideological bias, profound in its undertsanding, and compassionate in its human portrayls , it is filled with fresh revelations drawn from secret documents and from exclusive interviews with participants-French, American, Vietnamese, Chinese: diplomats, military commanders, high government officials, journalists, nurses, workers, and soldiers. Originally published a companion to the Emmy-winning PBS series, Karnow's defining book is a precursor to Ken Burns's ten-part forthcoming documentary series, The Vietnam War. Vietnam: A History puts events and decisions into such sharp focus that we come to understand - and make peace with - a convulsive epoch of our recent history. "This is history writing at its best." -Chicago Sun-Times "Even those of us who think we know something about it will read with fascination." -The New York Times
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