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Old 08-14-2009, 09:14 PM   #1
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Need some history book recommendations

I just wrapped up "In the Heart of the Sea" and just before that read "The Johnstown Flood." So I'm kind of on this history tragedy that reads like fiction kick.

Anyone have any good recommendations? Other similar books I've read in the past include "Professor and the Madman," "Krakatoa," "Devil in the White City," etc.

No war books though. Never have wanted to read those (still don't).
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Old 08-15-2009, 02:08 AM   #2
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I know a couple of good books about Hurricane Camille, the 1906 SF earthquake and fire and the Tri-State tornado but I don't see them at the Sony store. I just mention those so if you can use another format and want to "search" for that format somewhere else.

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Old 08-15-2009, 03:07 AM   #3
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Apsley Cherry-Gerrard's 'The Worst Journey in the World' is a gripping account of Capt. Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition.

Madam Broshkina has uploaded it here.
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Old 08-15-2009, 03:18 AM   #4
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Probably an obvious one: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
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Old 08-15-2009, 04:05 AM   #5
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The ultimate history book: Evolution, by Stephen Baxter.

Description from Fictionwise:

Quote:
From their beginnings foraging at the feet of the dinosaurs, through the apocalypse of an asteroid strike, through countless years of the day to day life and death dramas of survival of the fittest the primate, to the rise and fall of mankind and the final destruction of earth by the expanding sun the primates have survived. This is their story. Evolution follows the ebb and flow of the fortunes of one group of creatures as they change and adapt to their world somewhere on the horn of Africa. It turns the story of Darwinian evolution into a constant drama, a daily life and death struggle, a heroic story of life's endurance. It is a story that transcends generations, species, mankind and, in the end, the Earth itself. In the tradition of Olaf Stapledon and HG Wells.
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Old 08-15-2009, 08:38 AM   #6
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You might try the Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser. They are both hilariously funny and historically accurate. Most are war related but usually they are just leading up to a major battle like the Charge of the Light Brigade
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Old 08-15-2009, 09:56 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wayspooled View Post
I know a couple of good books about Hurricane Camille, the 1906 SF earthquake and fire and the Tri-State tornado but I don't see them at the Sony store. I just mention those so if you can use another format and want to "search" for that format somewhere else.
Actually, that reminds me. I have an ARC from years ago of "Crack in the Edge of the World" by Simon Winchester. I should grab it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparrow View Post
Apsley Cherry-Gerrard's 'The Worst Journey in the World' is a gripping account of Capt. Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition.

Madam Broshkina has uploaded it here.
Ooh sounds good.

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Originally Posted by doreenjoy View Post
Probably an obvious one: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Read it already. Fantastic book.
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Old 08-15-2009, 10:27 AM   #8
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Although I am sure you are asking about ebooks, I want to recommend a pbook that I would classify as the most interesting history/biography I have read (I'm still in the midst of reading it ) in years: Abraham Lincoln: A Life by Michael Burlingame. This is not for either the faint of heart or the faint of pocketbook -- it's 2 volumes (approx 2000 pages), hardcover, and costs $125 at full price (available for less at a bookstore near you). I am amazed at what there is yet to learn about Lincoln.

(One thing I learned in yesterday's reading is that Lincoln's law office was noted for being filthy. It was a second-floor office but hadn't been cleaned in so long that plants were literally growing from seed on the floor.)

An interesting history ebook is Warriors of God by James Reston, Jr. It is the story of battle between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin for control of the Holy Land during the First Crusade.
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Old 08-15-2009, 12:19 PM   #9
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You might like In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's the true story that inspired Moby Dick.
Or perhaps you would enjoy The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin. This the story of an event little known outside the Midwest. A freak blizzard in the 1880's left hundreds dead and disillusioned many immigrant's hopes of America as a kind of promised land. By the turn of the century 60% of the pioneers had left the plains.

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Old 08-15-2009, 12:20 PM   #10
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Quote:
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You might like In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's the true story that inspired Moby Dick.
Or perhaps The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin.
If you read my original post you'll see that I just finished "In the Heart of the Sea," which I did like

I'll check out the other though.
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Old 08-15-2009, 12:30 PM   #11
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I read so many posts after yours I forgot which ones you had read. You might also like Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel.
It's not available as an ebook though, at least not for the kindle.
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Old 08-15-2009, 12:38 PM   #12
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I read so many posts after yours I forgot which ones you had read. You might also like Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel.
It's not available as an ebook though, at least not for the kindle.
I think my mom has that in hardcover, maybe I'll steal it from her
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Old 08-15-2009, 01:19 PM   #13
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Oho, not just natural science event history My mistake heh...

John Adams by David McCullough

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond

Justinian's Flea by William Rosen

Race of the Century: The Heroic True Story of the 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race by Julie M. Fenster

Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign by Stephan Talty

Best Historical novels - Dorothy Dunnett's Niccolo Rising and Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander (better than the movie and actually the movie was taken from books 5-6 of the series I think). Not an ebook though as far as I know and to my regret.

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Old 08-15-2009, 10:10 PM   #14
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Not about disasters, but some historical fiction that I've recently enjoyed include Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks, Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons by Anne Rinaldi, The Ruby Ring by Diane Haeger, The Birth of Venus, and Daughter of the Sun by Barbara Wood.
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Old 08-16-2009, 07:38 AM   #15
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Not about disasters, but some historical fiction that I've recently enjoyed include Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks, Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons by Anne Rinaldi, The Ruby Ring by Diane Haeger, The Birth of Venus, and Daughter of the Sun by Barbara Wood.
I can second 'Pillars of the Earth'. Haven't read any of the others Elsi lists but I've read every Ken Follett and especially liked this one
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