Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > Reading Recommendations

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 01-26-2012, 08:49 AM   #1
Tome Keeper
Addict
Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Tome Keeper's Avatar
 
Posts: 355
Karma: 1001201
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: UK
Device: Kindle 3 Keyboard, Surface Tablet, Android Smartphone, Laptop, Netbook
History Overview?

I'm looking for a book that covers the main important events in history - either British specific or world-wide. Preferably one that is written in an accessible style. Any ideas?
Tome Keeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 11:36 AM   #2
ATDrake
Wizzard
ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ATDrake ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 11,517
Karma: 33048258
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Roundworld
Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia
I'm kind of tempted to suggest 1066 and All That, but you probably want something much more serious.

It's not a single book, but I've found various volumes in the Oxford University Press-published Very Short Introduction series to be quite good, covering many subject areas in decent but not overwhelming detail, and giving pointers to lots of further reading to follow up upon if interested. And many, if not all of their titles are available as e-books and non-Agency, so discountable with coupons at Kobo.

Here's their official series-specific site where you can sort by category (warning, they've run the entire thing on Flash) and here's the textual US catalogue site where you can browse by title. They've got 9 individual volumes for Britain alone, covering from Roman Britain through to the 20th Century. Their actual VSI to History is not so much a history book as a "how we look at history" book.

For a fun guide to history which covers the absolute essentials, Larry Gonick's popular "Cartoon Guide to ..." series includes three volumes on "The Universe" and two on "The Modern World".

Off the top of my head, I'm afraid I can't really think of any single-volume non-satiric works I've personally read which fit your criteria, but likely someone else will be able to make better suggestions.

Hope this helps.
ATDrake is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 01-26-2012, 12:26 PM   #3
Tome Keeper
Addict
Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Tome Keeper's Avatar
 
Posts: 355
Karma: 1001201
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: UK
Device: Kindle 3 Keyboard, Surface Tablet, Android Smartphone, Laptop, Netbook
That's ATDrake! I'll take a look at 1066 and all that. I just realized recently that I have no idea about history at all and would like to know the important parts.
Tome Keeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 12:58 PM   #4
Mike L
Wizard
Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Mike L ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Mike L's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,479
Karma: 3846231
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy
Tome Keeper,

I'm not sure, but I wonder if you would do better to focus on a specific country or period, at least to begin with. After all, history is ... well, there's so much of it. I can't imagine that any one book giving an overview in any useful level of detail.

Just a thought.

(By the way, I see your Karma is 1000001. I didn't realise they were doing it in binary these days <g>.)
Mike L is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 01:31 PM   #5
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
If you really want an overview, try "The New Penguin History of the World". It's available as an ebook (albeit an expensive one).
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 01-26-2012, 01:34 PM   #6
elemenoP
Wizard
elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.elemenoP ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 1,717
Karma: 3790058
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: NYC
Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650
You might be interested in Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. Disclaimer: I haven't read it myself, but some history-reading friends of mine loved it.

eP
elemenoP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 01:50 PM   #7
Tome Keeper
Addict
Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Tome Keeper ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Tome Keeper's Avatar
 
Posts: 355
Karma: 1001201
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: UK
Device: Kindle 3 Keyboard, Surface Tablet, Android Smartphone, Laptop, Netbook
Thanks all. British history is what I really want to know.

I do have Guns, Germs and Steel but have yet to get around to reading it.
Tome Keeper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 02:15 PM   #8
colinsky
Addict
colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.colinsky ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
colinsky's Avatar
 
Posts: 232
Karma: 3232318
Join Date: Sep 2009
Device: Sony PRS-300, PRS-T1, PRS-T3
Some free resources, quite good (and quite popular in their time):

H. G. Wells, The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind
David Hume continued by Tobias Smollett, A History of England from Early Times
colinsky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 03:20 PM   #9
tubemonkey
monkey on the fringe
tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tubemonkey ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
tubemonkey's Avatar
 
Posts: 45,460
Karma: 158151390
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Seattle Metro
Device: Moto E6, Echo Show
Give this one a shot:

A Short History of the World -- HG Wells (1922)
tubemonkey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 03:22 PM   #10
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
A really good modern history book (modern in the sense of "recently published", not the period it covers), if you don't mind a paperback, is "The Oxford History of Britain and Ireland".
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 04:46 PM   #11
RDaneel54
Aging Positronic Brain
RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RDaneel54 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
RDaneel54's Avatar
 
Posts: 633
Karma: 2155452
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Aurora (when off-Earth)
Device: Amazon Oasis; iPhone, iPad Mini
How about Winston Churchill's "History of the English-Speaking Peoples"?
RDaneel54 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 05:46 PM   #12
carpetmojo
Wizard
carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.carpetmojo ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 3,117
Karma: 9269999
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: UK
Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
If you really want an overview, try "The New Penguin History of the World". It's available as an ebook (albeit an expensive one).
An excellent work, and hard to better - but, as Harry says, not exactly an impulse buy....
The Churchill gives a good, "standard" viewpoint, and, well, "1066.." will certainly make you look a few things up !
And it is a Great Read.
carpetmojo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 06:04 PM   #13
hidari
MR Drone
hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hidari ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
hidari's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,613
Karma: 15612282
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DRONEZONE
Device: PB360+, Huawei MP5, Libra H20
Quote:
Originally Posted by RDaneel54 View Post
How about Winston Churchill's "History of the English-Speaking Peoples"?

A light general history of the world.....This Fleeting World: a History of Humanity by David Christian.....and only about one hundred pages long

http://www.amazon.com/This-Fleeting-...7618961&sr=8-1

Last edited by hidari; 01-26-2012 at 06:06 PM.
hidari is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 06:33 PM   #14
crich70
Grand Sorcerer
crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
crich70's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,306
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant covers from ancient Greece to around the time of Napoleon. The 11 Volumes are available via Amazon for Kindle. I got lucky back in the 90's and found a complete set in hardcover for only $45.00 total(brand new each volume was around $20-30.00) and while the Kindle version isn't cheap (some are around $14.99) it does give a overview of history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_of_Civilization
Internet archive has a CD of the books as well apparently though I have no idea how well it works.

http://www.archive.org/details/Story_of_Civ_CD

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr...=Will%20Durant

Last edited by crich70; 01-26-2012 at 06:39 PM.
crich70 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-26-2012, 06:42 PM   #15
Bookworm_Girl
E-reader Enthusiast
Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Bookworm_Girl ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Bookworm_Girl's Avatar
 
Posts: 4,871
Karma: 36507503
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Southwest, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATDrake View Post
I'm kind of tempted to suggest 1066 and All That, but you probably want something much more serious.
Another book with a satirical, light-hearted perspective is An Utterly Impartial History of Britain by John O'Farrell. Depending on my mood & the subject, sometimes I prefer in-depth serious works of history and other times I want something more entertaining.
Bookworm_Girl is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
KINDLE DEAL: Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History ($3.01) gospelebooks Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 0 06-20-2011 03:27 PM
Best "History Overview" Book? bonaldo2000 Reading Recommendations 14 05-04-2011 09:57 PM
Free book (Kindle/Nook) - 101 Things You Didn't Know About Irish History [History] ATDrake Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 9 03-17-2011 05:46 PM
overview screen mon Kobo Reader 7 01-29-2011 08:24 PM
iLiad Overview? jls iRex Developer's Corner 1 01-07-2007 06:55 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:22 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.