Quote:
Originally Posted by Kumabjorn
Well, if you want an overview it will be either textbooks or popular science. When you enter the realm of academic books the subject is much more narrow and you have to ensure a third or so which deals in method. When reading those for my own erudition I simply skip those parts since they don't add anything that interests me.
Also, I should have been clearer. By academic books I just meant books written by academics. Big difference when writing for tenure and when writing for market.
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Yea, some definition of terms is required.
When I think of a general history book, I think of books for the general public that popularizes a subject. Think David McCullough and Barbara Tuchman.
Text books might be someone like Susan Wise Bauer (an excellent History of Western World series)
General audience academic might be Samuel Noah Kramer's - The Sumerians - Their History, Culture and Character. (really good, btw. )
Academic might be Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC by William Hamblin.