Great historical novels
Explore the best historical novels that bring the past to life. Discover gripping tales of love, war, and adventure in our curated list of must-read books.

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Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry
Tells of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana and shows how one man's dream to create an empire affects others.
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ID: 0553263978
(Type: books)

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When the Lion Feeds
by Wilbur A. Smith
Sean and his twin brother Garrick couldn't be more different. And when fate, war and jealous schemes of a woman interfere with their lives, they are destined to be driven even further apart. But as time progresses and their history unfolds, a continent is awakening. A continent on whose horizons await the promises of fortune, adventure and love. Available in September.

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Centennial
by James Albert Michener
Written as a tribute to America's bicentennial celebration. Centennial is an epic novel of the history, land, and people of Colorado. Centered around the fictional town of Centennial, the story contains an extensive cast of characters including Native Americans, French fur trappers, English noblemen, and American cowboys, all caught up in the dramatic events and violent conflicts that shaped the destiny of the legendary West.
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ID: 0440392659
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Follow the River
by James Alexander Thom
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “It takes a rare individual not only to see that history can live, but also to make it live for others. James Thom has that gift.”—The Indianapolis News Mary Ingles was twenty-three, happily married, and pregnant with her third child when Shawnee Indians invaded her peaceful Virginia settlement in 1755 and kidnapped her, leaving behind a bloody massacre. For months they held her captive. But nothing could imprison her spirit. With the rushing Ohio River as her guide, Mary Ingles walked one thousand miles through an untamed wilderness no white woman had ever seen. Her story lives on—extraordinary testimony to the indomitable strength of one pioneer woman who risked her life to return to her own people.

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ID: 0743216296
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The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read #1 New York Times Bestseller Oprah's Book Club Selection The “monumental masterpiece” (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett’s already phenomenal career. Look out for the prequel, The Evening and the Morning, coming from Viking in September 2020. “Follett is a master,” extolled the Washington Post on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it stands as a testament to Follett’s unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal. The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect—a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother. A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.
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ID: 0671242857
(Type: books)