History books & summaries
Explore what came before and how it impacts our ever-evolving existence.
Topics in History
Explore specific subjects within History
The untold stories of Africa's kingdoms, leaders, and cultural legacy
From the founding fathers to modern America — the story of a nation
The empires and cultures that laid the foundations of the modern world
The rich tapestry of Arab traditions, language, and modern identity
From ancient dynasties to modern superpowers — the story of Asia
The impact of colonial empires on nations, cultures, and identities
The secret world of spies, covert operations, and intelligence agencies
Empires, revolutions, and the ideas that shaped Western civilization
Featured Books
Handpicked books in History
Viktor Emil Frankl
Man’s Search for Meaning. Washington Square Press, 1985.
Ellen Ruppel Shell
The High Cost of Discount Culture. Penguin Press, 2009.
Ruby Lal
The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan. Norton & Company, Inc., 2018.
John Lewis
A Vision for Change and the Future of America. Hachette Books, 2017
New Arrivals
Latest additions in History
David Leavitt
Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer. Atlas Books, 2006.
Deborah Blum
Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. Penguin Books, 2010.
Kate Moore
The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women. Sourcebooks, 2017.
Lydia Kang
A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything. Workman Publishing, 2017.
Sam Kean
And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. Little, Brown and Company, 2010.
Jasmine Brown
The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians, from the Civil War to the 21st Century. Beacon Press, 2023.
Olivia Campbell
How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine. Park Row Books, 2021.
Mark Miodownik
Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World. Mariner Books, 2015.
Tania Gergel
The Brief Life and Towering Exploits of History’s Greatest Conqueror as Told by His Original Biographers. Penguin Books, 2004.
Mark Pendergrast
The History of Coffee and How It Transformed the World. Basic Books, 2019.
Most Popular
Top-rated books in History
Alexis Coe
A Biography of George Washington. Viking, 2020.
Adam Rutherford
The Stories in Our Genes. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2016.
Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power. Penguin Books, 1998.
Thomas E. Ricks
What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country. Harper, 2020.
Viktor Emil Frankl
Man’s Search for Meaning. Washington Square Press, 1985.
Victoria Finlay
A Natural History of the Palette. Random House, 2003.
William Quinn
A Global History of Economic Bubbles. Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Nikil Saval
A Secret History of the Workplace. Public Doubleday, 2014.
Trending This Week
What readers are exploring in History
William J. Bernstein
How Trade Shaped the World. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2008.
Viktor Emil Frankl
Man’s Search for Meaning. Washington Square Press, 1985.
Ellen Ruppel Shell
The High Cost of Discount Culture. Penguin Press, 2009.
Ruby Lal
The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan. Norton & Company, Inc., 2018.
John Lewis
A Vision for Change and the Future of America. Hachette Books, 2017
Frank Abagnale
The True Story of a Real Fake. Broadway Books, 2002.
A.J. Baime
Ford, Ferrari and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans. Bantam, 2010.
Nikil Saval
A Secret History of the Workplace. Public Doubleday, 2014.
Sonia Shah
Tracking Contagions, from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond. Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016.
Why History?
Use short History book summaries when you don't have time for full books.
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1682+ books
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Rejection Proof
Jia Jiang
A fascinating look at rejection from every angle, from understanding and overcoming the fear of rejection to learning how to increase your chances of a yes while becoming perfectly okay with a no.
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