Europe history recommendations please

[Mike L]

Can anyone recommend a reputable book on European history in the 19th Century (or, say, the period between the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the start of the Great War)?

I'm looking for something that presents the big picture: the history of the entire continent rather than that of individual countries. I'd prefer a heavyweight title, not one of those "everything you need to know in two hours" offerings.

My reason for wanting this is that next year we'll almost certainly see a flood of titles on the origins and causes of World War 1 - I've already added a couple of those to my to-be-read list - but I'm fairly ignorant about the period immediately before that.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Mike

[HarryT]

You may like to try "The Oxford History of Modern Europe", which presents an overall history of Europe from the French Revolution onwards. It's available as a reasonably priced (for an academic work, that is) Kindle edition.

[covingtoncat73]

This book sounds interesting, though it is, apparently, not an eBook and more 20th century...

http://www.amazon.com/All-That-Solid...1173757&sr=1-4

This one is an eBook but it is about Nationalism in Europe AND American from 1775, so it includes American and starts in the 18th Century, so I don't know if it is what you want.

http://www.amazon.com/Nationalism-Eu...ies+Since+1775

[covingtoncat73]

This one might be more the ticket except it is expensive, not an eBook, and totally a textbook.

http://www.amazon.com/Europe-Making-...nity+1815-1914

This one is probably better...

http://www.amazon.com/19th-Century-E...ltural+History

[Istvan diVega]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You may like to try "The Oxford History of Modern Europe", which presents an overall history of Europe from the French Revolution onwards. It's available as a reasonably priced (for an academic work, that is) Kindle edition.

I second this most heartily. For a single-volume overview of the period you want I can't think of a better choice. In general, the Oxford and Cambridge university presses are the go-to sources for all things history as far as I'm concerned.

[bfisher]

If you want something for the immediate pre-war period (1890-1914), Barbara Tuchman's The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914 covers events and trends in the U.K.,France,Germany and Russia,and is very readable. A great introduction to the pre-war period. Of course, it only describes the end-phase of a vast series of changes over the 1815-1914 period.

[bfisher]

Paul Johnson's The Birth Of The Modern: World Society 1815-1830 will be released to ebook Oct 31,2013. It is a very readable synopsis of trends and changes at the beginning of the 1815-1914 period. I was particularly struck by his description of cultural changes. I just pre-ordered a copy from Amazon; I've been wanting an electronic copy of this for years.

[bfisher]

C.A.Bayly's The Birth of the Modern World, 1780-1914 is an excellent synopsis of the changes from the revolutionary period to the start of the Great War.

[bfisher]

If you don't mind a Marxist interpretation (and it was the century of Marx,after all ), there are Eric Hobsbawm's books on the period Age of Revolution 1789-1848, Age Of Capital 1848-1875, and Age Of Empire 1875-1914.

[Mike L]

Thank you all for those terrific suggestions. You've given me plenty to work on.

I'll take a look at all the titles you recommended, and then report back.

Mike