Currently reading Michael Holt’s By One Vote about the 1876 presidential election. The University of Kansas has a whole series on the presidential elections and so far I love it. I’ve found a new respect for Rutherford Hayes and I’ve already ordered Holt’s other book on the 1860 election.

I don’t know if I’ll ever publish my 2022 book reviews since I haven’t found the motivation to write lately. Maybe I’ll get around to it in the New Year. Question for the sub, what books did you get for the holidays?

Could anyone recommend a modern history of Venice? I am reading John Julius Norwich's history, but it is a bit aged (ie uses the blanket term Saracens for all Muslims during the Crusades), and feels like it lacks objectivity on the subject.

Also if any could suggest a book on Eastern Mediterranean diplomacy and spycraft of the Renaissance I would appreciate the suggestion.

One of my favorite history books is Nicholas and Alexandra because it reads like a novel and is very accessible and informative (even if personally I think it veers a little into worshipping the Tsar a bit).

Any recs for similar books? Any subject or time period is fine, I'm just better with easily digestible history books without feeling like I'm studying.

Last two history books of the year. They are those old fashioned massive hardbacks with loads of pictures, as I wanted a clean slate for the history books I got for Christmas. Only really mentioning them as they are my last history books of 2022 and I'm now just reading fiction till next year.

Uniforms and Decorations of World Wars I & II by John Batchelor (Illustrator), Bernard Fitzsimons (Editor)

>2.5/5. Charity shop find. Nothing wrong with it but overall just not for me. Read it very quickly as it is mostly pictures and captions.

>Rather old book, published in the 1970s. 170 pages, one of those big hardcover style books that don't seem to get made nowadays. Collection of artwork depicting the uniforms of soldiers from both the world wars. Surprisingly in-depth as it included many of the colonial troops and for WWI the various Balkan troops. For WWII it also had a section just for ties (which I skipped but it shows the level of detail). Additionally it has pictures of medals, decorations on aircraft, various insignia like all the SS division symbols plus some propaganda posters. There were some diagrams that displayed the unit organisation (division, batallion etc) in an easy to understand way and I did take photos of those so I could refer to them when reading other books. The artwork is decent but dated and the photos, while not that high in quality, are good enough to easily see.

>While it is in-depth and I do like military history, I personally am not that into learning about every single uniform or medal so I didn't get that much out of the book I'll remember but that is on me. If you are into that level of detail this book might be worth a read if you can find a very cheap copy (although there are probably newer easier to find books on the topic with higher quality images considering this book is nearly 50 years old)

Great Battles of World War 1 by Anthony Livesey

>3/5

>Writing was ok, not good but got the point across. Good quality maps and photos despite the age of the book. Decent mix of areas and battles, not just the Western Front. Some subsections with information about specific things like artillery, equipment or short biographies of the generals. But the main content is VERY focused on the operational side of things, very little on the experience of ordinary soldiers or the broader political context.

>Overall, only read on the small chance you see a cheap charity shop copy, not worth specifically seeking out

I’d like to recommend two books by Ben Macintyre: A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal and The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War. In a Spy Among Friends, Macintyre sketches MI5 agent Kim Philby’s treasonous career as a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring. MacIntyre argues that Philby’s treason was personal not just political because it affected his best friend as well as his country. In the Spy and the Traitor, Macintyre outlines KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky’s career as a double agent clandestinely feeding secrets to MI6. Both books are outstanding and offer an interesting look at the Cold War.

Making my way through Troy Senik’s new bio of Grover Cleveland, A Man of Iron, and enjoying it so far. More of a survey course than an in depth reading of his life, but I’m not sure there’s enough here for more than Senik devotes, which is plenty. A fine overview of what by most all accounts seems to be an extremely decent man in an extremely indecent era.

This will likely be the end of my bio jag, and of the three I’ve read in succession I would probably place Senik’s third behind Berg’s Lindbergh and Chernow’s Titan, which might be the best character study of a single person I’ve ever read.

Hello,

I'm interested in finding books about Black people in Lisbon Portugal from 1400-1755 and also books on the Moorish rule of Lisbon until it's end.

Thanks in advance!

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. Simply amazing telling of the life of Genghis Khan by someone who truly immersed himself in the culture and the secret history of the Mongols. Timujin ftw

He followed that up with Mongol Queens which is also awesome but Genghis Khan is where it’s at, dude was seriously bad ass. Highly recommend.

I'm reading, and loving it - Two Houses, Two Kingdoms by Catherine Harley. This is a history of Britain's relationship with France from 1100 to 1300.

Last week I finished The War of the Roses, by Alison Weir. A history of Britain - Edward III's children and grandchildren and their wars.

Reposting: books on Renaissance and Victorian Architecture in Europe, and books in European fashion history, particularly in France, also Renaissance to present day, with illustrations for reference in both. Thanks in advance, I know it's a bit of a tall order (:

What are your favourite books about ancient Greece? Any time period.

Was curious if anyone had some resources on actual dukes and families that were prominent in London during the regency era? I can’t seem to find much on the topic. Maybe I’m just bad at searching lol