History Books > Paperback History Books

Advantages: history that is accessible and entertaining, well presented
Disadvantages: none except for my poor make up thanks to the woad incident

...for Boys and Girls (1906), Our Empire Story (1908), History of France (1912), History of Germany (1913) , The Story of the United States (1919, though in 1917 published in the US as This Country of Ours) and Kings and Things (1937). Each of these unabashedly mixed legend, magic, and historical fact to weave positive portraits displaying great pride for the history and achievements of these nations.It does not gloss over misdeeds either, painting ...
...ancient peoples who dwelt on our shores. She saw the people of history as just that, people, and their stories have come alive for her and fired her imagination as surely as any fairytale ever did, but burning with an intensity that cannot be quenched for contained within is the element of truth. No more are the Kings and Queens and Caesars just names that run together. She knows their avarice, their determination, their triumphs, and their setbacks. ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent account of unprecidented war trial
Disadvantages: Can be hard reading at times

INTRODUCTION After the fall of the Third Reich, the Allies of the United Kingdom, France, The United States and Russia were left with the issue of bringing the Nazi leaders to justice. Whatever they decided would set a precedent; no trial in history had previously been conducted for the top brass of a criminal regime. They understood the importance of any decision they made, as it would hold the key to how war criminals once defeated would ...
...of this ground breaking trial. It is hard to read these kinds of things objectively; for example, my own father served in the British 8th Army during the war, and I would have been a fair way up the regime's hit list, so I can't claim to be in any way neutral. However, I have tried hard to read this book looking from both sides of the trial. It is a great credit to the book that it enables you to do this to a fair degree. Perhaps more fairly that ... Read review

Advantages: Compelling true story, well written.
Disadvantages: None

Highly detailed account of the wartime experiences of a group of soldiers from the 101st Airborne's Easy Company. The book's very accessible style (it even includes maps at the front) and its highly compelling subject matter combine to make this an extremely worthwhile read. The inclusion of photographs in the book helps to remind the reader that this is a TRUE story, rather than just a TV show (which was also excellent). Especially striking is the ...
...though I won't elaborate as it would spoil the book if you haven't read it (or seen the TV series). Personally, I couldn't put this book down. The shattering, heart-rending journey these men go through over the course of 307 pages makes this book (for me) the ultimate page-turner. It left me with a sense of gratitude at the sacrifices and hardships these men went through, whilst feeling inspired that they still retained their friendship and humanity. ... Read review