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History books.
Be My Head:
I want to know what history books you've really enjoyed reading. Of particular interest to me is European and Asian history. I'm reading The Judgment of Paris right now and it's fascinating. More books on France covering the first revolution up to the turn of the century would be appreciated (ones that you've read).
pilsner:
Oooh nice thread idea.
Just finished Niall Ferguson's The War of the World. It's a good but imperfect attempt to lay out the progression from the growth of racial hatred in the nation state to war based genocide in the course of WWI and WWII. Ferguson's thesis involves the dissolution of the great European empires, the emergence of new and virtually unprecedented levels of racial homogeneity, and the corresponding growth as a political force of paranoia regarding miscegenation. I found the book provocative and compelling, although frustrating in it's limited scope.
I haven't read many books on French history at all, but can strongly recommend the article on the Dreyfus Affair in the New Yorker about a month back. Actually it was a book review of a book on the Dreyfus Affair -- I can track it down if you are interesting. It was fascinating to me because I know virtually nothing about turn of the century French antisemitism, so I can't say whether it adds anything to the discussion for someone who is better informed than I.
jimbunny:
Jonathan Spence is great if you're interested in Chinese history. The Search for Modern China is a long but very readable book, starting at the end of the Ming (late seventeenth century) and going all the way up to when the book was published in the early nineties.
Google Books link
Be My Head:
That looks amazing. I'll definitely look into getting a copy. Chinese history is fascinating to me.
KickThatBathProf:
I remember reading this book back in grade school. I don't remember any historical books I've read since.
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