/lit/ - Literature

>>16035654
Guicciardinis History of Italy

Any good recommendations for peak CIA activity? Ghost wars is already on the reading list

Was planning on reading this, looks interesting.

>>16035736
I read The Jakarta Method pretty recently and I enjoyed it. Depending on your politics, you may find yourself disagreeing with the author- but it's good reporting on a CIA operation I had never heard anything about before.

Book about the siege of an Albanian castle town by the invading Ottoman Army. Very brutal.

An account of a mission sent to Mexico, Spain, and eventually Rome by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 16th century.

>>16035736
>>16035822
The Secret Team by Prouty
Science of Coercion by Simpson

Anything by Glantz.

>>16035736
Legacy of Ashes

>>16035654
Turchin

>>16035822
Just read the preface and an excerpt. Honestly if the rest of his history is the same quality as his colonial American history, I'm not interested. Totally misunderstands early Puritan development and tries to use that as a basis for an outdated historical understanding of American society.

Best concise narrative work I've read. Cheese and the Worms is always recommended to me but I've yet to get round to it so can't comment.

Currently about 1/3 of the way through pic related. It's well-written and some of the anecdotes are very interesting, but as someone who doesn't know much about medieval France it's hard for me to judge whether Huizinga's arguments are correct. He jumps around a lot in terms of both time and place, and I've had to look up a lot of stuff.
>>16036596
The Cheese and the Worms is great.

>>16035654
"The Rise of American Civilization" is a classic. Very objective look at America from it's founding up to WW1.

any recommendations for books about the crusades?

>>16037116
This is a pair of firsthand accounts by men who were there. Obviously not going to be a grand overview, being two personal views, but still a good direct source.

>>16036767
lmao

>>16035654
Read this years ago in a Russian History course. If I remember correctly, it was a very good book. It almost read like a novel.

>>16037116
History of the crusades - Steven runciman

>>16035654
Someone recommended me this book a few days ago on here. It's great, in tracing the development of major religions and the flow of their ideas starting from Plato through Spinoza and into the 20th century,

>>16037116
I'd also like recommendations on the life of Jeanne d'Arc

Anyone read Laurus? Is it good?
I'm between pic related and >>16035862 but I would have to OCR it from Open Library.

>>16037145
Explain your comment

>>16038853
Not him but i assume he is having a laugh at american *civilization*

>>16035654
Stop reading pop-history.

>>16038990
I'm reading an academic work on classical Greek tactics and will be reading Hellenica next, what now faggot?

>>16038243
I read a bad translation, but it was still good.

>>16039906
English translation? There's more than one?

>>16035654
What’s everyone’s favorite book on Bronze Age history?

>>16039109
Better be Landmark

>>16038212
Mark Twain's "Joan of Arc".

>>16035654
For me, it is Anabasis

why is /his/ so shit? those retards only read wikipedia

This one has been pretty excellent so far. Currently reading about the Assyrian Empire. I've developed a taste for long books, so I thought 13,000 pages would suffice to take it to the next level.

For me, it's All the Shah's Men. We stole so much from them, brothers ;_;

>>16041757
Good luck, I've seen copies of the Durants' books everywhere but have never met anyone who's actually read them all.
How's the writing? I know they were intended for a general audience.

>>16041826
The shah had it coming

Picked up these three books recently. Wanted to learn about the French Revolution and Napoleon all my life, but I've been studying history pretty linearly (starting with Ancient Greece) since I turned 18, so its been a looong time coming. The Sun King has been a lot of fun to read already.

>>16042548
Nice. I started to listen to that Napoleon book several years ago when I was a night janitor, but I couldn't stand the narration. It's the most popular biography on him, but I want to find a different one for exactly that reason.

Anyone know any older ones?

>>16035776
I am 3/4s of the way through and would wholeheartedly recommend. An absolutely amazing book that also serves as a detailed primer on world history from the fall of ancient Rome to the modern day.

>>16042581
He quotes a speech in one of the later chapters on the US that made me cry. It's devastating what's happened to this world via usury.

>>16042548
Chaos

>>16042576
>Anyone know any older ones?
Yevgeny Tarle, written in the late 1800's, it is very good.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20888539-napoleon

>>16042678
Nice, man, I'm on it.

>>16042678
I was only able to find "Bonaparte" by Eugene Tarle translated into English in 1937 by John Cournos. It appears to be be the same work, but goodreads says the book is 560 pages, and the pdf says 433. Could just be formatting. Can you confirm that it's the same?
http://93.174.95.29/main/2387000/c35dc366a0135fde80c515ff8c54faf6/E.%20Tarle%20-%20Bonaparte-Knight%20Publications%20%281937%29.pdf

>>16042747
Nevermind, it's definitely the same book. Thanks again.

>>16042576
stendhal wrote a book about him

>>16035654
Anyone know where I can get an epub of this?
I don't see it on libgen/b ok

>>16042957
I can't find it either, except to borrow on Internet Archive.

Who are the absolute worst authors of supposed history? (non-ww2)

>>16035654
I have been reading this! A bit of niche history, perhaps, but it’s fascinating - the history of the human relationship with nighttime and darkness! Information pulled from court documents, letters, diaries, songs, poetry and other first-person accounts. It’s dense but definitely worth it!

>>16037116
A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchmann. While it's not exclusively about the crusades, and a little dated, it's still an excellent overview of medieval life in general. Plus there's still some crusade goodness in there.

>>16041826
What does the book even state?
The US' coup failed rather disastrously and then the people who didn't like Mossadegh within Iran (Bazaris and Clergy mainly) kicked him out themselves

A lot of notable historical stuff in here.

>>16035654
Oh nice, I've just been reading this. An excellent read.

>>16044450
Anon, I...

Where do I start with history? Is it wise to pick up a book like (>>16041757) which tries to survey the entirety of human history chronologically? Or can I just read anything and it doesn't matter?

>>16044564
Up to you, look to what might interest you and be prepared to start with easy stuff. a good foundation saves time later.
Some examples of some good reads for starting out:
The Edge of the World - Michael Pye.
Cod, Paper, A History of the Basque People - (3 books) all by Mark Kurlansky
Batavia's Graveyard - Mike Dash
There are also books like A Time Travellers Guide to Elizabethan England by Phillip Mortimer & Rome on 5 Denari a Day by Phillp Matcycsak, these kind of books are potted compendiums on periods are great for quickley getting the hang of notable people, lifestyles, language and geography. They are not high level but they have lots of info across a wide breadth.

There are lots of books on the history of the world, and theres no reason why its not a good idea. If you want to go right back to the start After the Ice by Stephen Methen is great but its not a beginners book unless you really like arcaheology.

>>16042581
I can't stand books that just go on without relating to historical sources. Can I read this?

I am asking if it is at all transparent with sources in the text.

>>16044474

Yes, brother?

>>16039993
No, a Swedish one.

>>16035654
Kautilya faggot

i said this before, but pick related is an amazing book on the sociology, religion and cultural development, as well as basic history of the japanese people. Hearn has a great grasp of language and no other work has explained the japanese mind and culture so clearly and evocatively. wrigen pre wwi as well so it has that great positive feel to it without the cynicism of the 21st century.

amazing read, delves into the core of the mindset. and is fare, has hreat respect for it but doesnt pull back from critiquing, still comes out as generous. i actually found it oddly similar to a lot of trends in medieval europe. the two are actually weirdly similar.

as a related note, if anyones familiar, i would like a similar book that explains a lot of the pathos and sociology of medieval europe. i dont know if one of the mentioned books about the crusades would be particularly good.

>>16044955
It'd be better to pick a smaller region or a specific trend. Hearn is dealing with a specific time period with a well established homogeneous society- it's not going to have the same mix of elements as Venice in the 15th C or Portugal etc. If you want a specific trend that links them, you're better off searching around the trend rather than by geography.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ig0xw

I'm interested in works in books on these topics:
>Defenses of the Ancien Regimes of China, India, Japan, Africa, and the Islamic World against Modernity, Liberalism, Capitalism, etc by Ultraconservative Megareactionaries from those various parts of the world, akin to what Konstantin Pobedonostsev was trying to do with Reflections of a Russian Statesman
>Books on Ancient Egypt
"Never Had the Like Occurred" is on my list for Egypt.

>>16045038
Sayyed Qutb from The America I Have Seen, onwards will explain a lot of the regressive Muslim movements views. He's an inspiration for a lot of movements from the Muslim Brotherhood to ISIS
Leo Strauss does a lot of the same thing but defending a regression to the same America Qutb was against. Plato's Republic has a similar model to his which relies on philosopher kings making up uniting myths for the plebs to believe in.

>>16045013
thank you very much. to be fair, i think you are right with europe being more diverse than japan, but he still traces some development. i actually have been reading pic related, more abojt architecture, but he still goes into the unique pathos of venice as well. maybe medieval france would be good seeing as it is the flower of classical chivalry and feudalism.

also, the Stones of Venice is the work im refering to. the place almost seemed to have an ancient greek city-state like civic pride and honor synthesized with catholicism and the medieval trade very interesting.

>>16045077
forgot 4chan doesnt like big files and flips them.

>>16035736
Devil's Chessboard

>>16045066
I've been recommended Qutb before, but he's not quite what I'm interested in. I'm not so much looking for theology, as much as politics. That is, an explicit defense of Caliphate, Shah, etc, rather than of the Quran. As I understand it, Qutb wasn't really defending (Islamic) monarchy and more so wanted a Republic run by jurists and shariah scholars. Perhaps there are no works in English defending the Ottoman Sultan against Capitalism or whatever because they just haven't been translated.

>>16045077
>maybe medieval france would be good seeing as it is the flower of classical chivalry and feudalism.
Elinor of Aquitaine and the court of Love starts most of this movement in Europe. There is a wealth of books on it from her through to troubadours and how verisimilitude and sprezzatura took over literary styles throughout the middle ages, to the point you often find a mini history of the trend in editions of Chaucer or the Decameron.
>city-state
It's easy to forget how disjointed Europe was before Bismarck and the other nation builders. Italy and up through Germany operated largely like the warring Greek states until unification, with city states often sabotaging each other or engaged in all out war. If you want medieval backstabbing the Italian city states are the best, like capitalists who have just found out about stimulants like coffee.
Also don't overlook the role of the navy in the period. England, Portugal, the Dutch, Catalonia and tiny states like Venice become world powers at the time through naval exploration. France and Germany get to that rather late in comparison, though post the unification of Germany and after Napoleon everyone considers them more important powers than the ones I listed before.

>>16045102
>Islamic) monarchy and more so wanted a Republic run by jurists and shariah scholars
This is how an Islamic government works. What you want to look into specifically are the mirrors for princes (Nasīhat nāme) which are advice to the Ottoman rulers from political theologians.

>>16045195
That's an entirely valid point, obviously because not-Europe isn't Europe things will look a little different there. I still maintain that there's gotta be people arguing in favor of it, even if they're not translated. Their works would also have to survive to the present day, of course, so some tract explaining the value of the Mamluk Sultanate or whatever might've just been burnt because muh islamic republic or what not.

I'll look into your suggestion there, thank you.

>>16044339
Niall Ferguson

he somehow manages to be despised by historians and economists

>>16044888
Is it just a meme or do people actually read it? Not as concise as Sun Zi or Machiavelli so not as marketable.

>>16045670
>he somehow manages to be despised by historians and economists
That's an endorsement as I see it.

>>16045768
I don't think he should see it as such considering he fancies himself as both of those professions

>>16045795
Approval by one's peers in this society is of as little value as uncooked beans to a lion, excluding monetary success. I'm more inclined than ever to read this guy.

>>16045835
I do understand the desire to be contrarian and cut against groupthink- it's a very healthy and useful impulse IMO. That being said, it might serve to look into why historians or economists dislike the guy. I am not too familiar with Ferguson, but I think it is good standard practice with any book that deals with academic subjects to read academic reviews on it. Sometimes, someone gets shunned by their peers for telling an uncomfortable or ignored truth. Other times, it's simply because they are doing bad work.

>>16036692
Allthough some of his arguments don't neccesarily hold up today, he is still revered among historians today and his work is still regarded as foundational. I'm afraid I can't tell you which arguments exactly are being contested today though.

Anyone got any good books on the migration period? I am specifically interested in the Germanic tribes and their kingdoms.

Planning on starting this soon. The author's other work- comparative studies between Han China and the Roman Empire- was very interesting.

>>16045968
Fuck off, cunt. If I'm willing to read his book I'm willing to do some research as well. Stop trying to justify your shit tier heuristic of "muh social proof" whilst assuming the worst of me. Stupid bugman. This society is trash, and the first marker of any man's quality is the controversy he creates within it. I checked his wikipedia article and he appears to have pissed off a bunch of kikes for saying if Germany had won WW1 the world would be a better place.

>I am not too familiar with Ferguson,
Then shut the fuck up. Don't delegate your opinions of strangers to smarmy jews.

Do any anons have a suggestion for any good relatively unbiased books about the French revolution? I took a few history courses that covered the revolutionary period but I still don't quite understand it and want to know more

>>16035654
some people might not call this a history book but its a must read for understanding history modern or otherwise

>>16046413
some people say Citizens is good but I haven't read it myself

>>16043025
Thank you for your service sir

>>16042548
I read the napeleon one. Really good book would highly suggest to anyone.

>>16047355
I remember a /his/ thread summarizing all the events this book describes

sounded like a crazy read

Philip Freeman's bio is good too, a little bit more accessible but not as in depth as pic related

>>16047400
Adrian is goat. His others books are great too. (antony and cleopatra) and augustus.
>>16047397
It is pretty wild. It really changes how you view africa.


Nato`s secrets armies is skectchy book but it is pretty amazing. Belguim shootings,italian bombings. Just to stop commies they recruit ex-nazis.


>italy says gladio exists in france
>france says nah we dont have them
>italy says bro we met last month here is evidence
>france embressed, admits they have one too

>>16047214
I did find the Italian original if you want that.

I cannot stop collecting historical tomes! How do I stop it? Whenever I see a thick volume about a historical event (even ones I previously did not give a shit about) I cannot help but grab it!

>famine happens
>one of reasons behind it is that people prefer making vodka instead of actually eating

>czar maries his niece with a prince. During wedding czar forces prince to drink copious amount of vodka. Prince dies later from alchol posioning and czar annexes his terroritiries.

Good book

>>16047467
I went down the rabbit hole of operation Gladio when I read about the string of violent robberies that happened in Belgium.

does the book talk much about that particular connection?

>>16047503
I know how it is. It's like the feeling of buying them will make me smarter, but then they just sit there. I'm learning to be more discerning and calculated in my purchases.

>>16047556

I'm trying to read them, but I am collecting them faster than I can read them, without a doubt.

>>16047531
Yes it has chapter on belguim spefically. It talks about violent robberies and raid on police station. Was really interesting. It was very brutal too.

>>16035654
Please stop the /generals/

>>16035654
This one is pretty good, too. Same subject.

>>16047637
>NOOO PLEASE STOP POSTING THREADS WHERE OVER 5% OF THE POSTS ARE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT BOOKS! I COME HERE TO MOCK NIGGERS JEWS AND WOMEN! STOP RUINING MY SAFESPACE!

>>16035654
Congratulations on your thread reaching 100 posts, OP! I knew you could do it.

>>16046204
Baby brain.

Any good books about Scandinavia or Persia?

>>16048351
I can name lots of books on Swedish history, but I have no idea which ones have been translated and which ones haven't, assuming you don't speak Swedish.

>>16048369

Sorry, I don't speak swedish

>>16048405
I can name one atleast. Voltaires biography of Charles XII which has likely been translated since it is Voltaire.

Endurance by Alfred Lansing

>>16047355
>anglo historiography

A few days ago I found Taylor's Bismarck, and just today I found Eyck's Bismarck. What kind of luck is that?

Thinking of reading this soon. Anyone else read it?

>>16050661
Neat

Now make them kiss

>>16045166
thanks for the rec.

>>16051322
I tried reading his LBJ biography but the writing is so tedious

>>16047637
Please die nigger

Just got this today

>>16048369
I speak Swedish, name some please

>>16035654
forgot about that book, it was incredibly captivating

What's a good book on knowing more about Napoleon and Genghis Khan?

>>16051807
fAndrew Roberts's bio that some anon already posted is probably the best one around currently for Napoleon

>>16051854
Dude wrote 3 or 4 on Napoleon, which one should I even get?

>>16051854
Napoleon A Life released in 2014

>>16051933
I liked this book.

>>16035654
What are some good historical fiction depicting massacres and wars from civillians perspective?

>>16051961
Would fiction on this subject be more effective than reading actual survivor accounts?

>>16051933
meant for
>>16051916

>>16051961
The underdogs (los de abajo) by Mariano Azuela, does a great job at depicting the Mexican revolution from the common peasant's perspective. Although somewhat niche for people who aren't from Mexico, it's still a great and short novel which i really recommend. I would also recommend watching a video or documentary on the topic before reading to get a better understanding.

>>16051970
I've already read plenty of irl horror story accounts, but I take recs if you have any!

>>16052161
Thank you, I'll look it up

>>16044339
Simon Sebag Montefiore

>>16052992
>jew
Goes without sayin'.

where to start if i want to learn about Julius Caesar?

>>16053083
Shakespeare.

>>16053083
"The Twelve Caesars" by Suetonius.

>>16053083
Adrian Goldsworthy's Caesar

>>16051431

Perhaps I will.

>>16045670
Niall Ferguson is one of the better historians of our time. Some would even say he's the best right now

>>16051807
>>16051854
>>16051933
i personally recommend Memiors of Napoleon by Louis Antoine. the author was a freibd of napoleon since childhood so its as close to a primary source as you can get besides that from the mouth of napoleon himself, and the author really tries to be achadenic and scholarly. in a way, a close compatriote might be better than the person themself due to perspective. also, its great to see the in context interpretations of napoleon. would also recommend a more modern reader to go along with, but the in person accounts and in context thoughts and interpretations are invaluable.

>>16047675
Hey what about making threads on specifically those books you would like to discuss? That would push back the wojak and /pol/ /leftypol/ jezebel inane bullshit that fills up this place the whole time. I'm not against this thread as such, but if you have to make everything into a /general/ -- which some have been proposing just a few days ago -- just to have a discussion about literature, we are going down a wrong path, how about fag jannies enforcing the fucking rules.

Any books about the German Empire?

>>16053263
Nice

>>16053223
>Niall Ferguson is one of the better historians of our time. Some would even say he's the best right now

>>16053090
>>16053108
>>16053133
Thanks chaps

>>16045670
>>16053432
Why is he disliked?

>>16051617
Karl XI av Göran Rystad
Krigarkungen av Bengt Liljegren
Karoliner av Alf Åberg och Göte Göransson (denna går bara att köpa som begagnad såvitt jag vet, men den är läsvärd)
Sveriges medeltid av Dick Harrison
Nordiska myter av Wolfgang Korn
Historiska medias pocketböcker i serien Sveriges/världens dramatiska historia

>>16053487

He doesn't toe the Judeo-Historiographical line.

>>16053487
establishment historian

>>16044339
Jared Diamond

>>16053432
>>16053544
I suppose you'd rather read one of these books on British Empire than Ferguson's?

>>16053487
His takes are way too hot
That's not to impinge on them a qualitative judgement, his alt-history views are immensely retarded, his moral opinions talk about events are too emotionally sensitive for a proper judgement and his research methods are mixed
He's a very memorable historian to be sure at the very least

>>16053550
>>16053029

>>16053537
>>16053544
I don't know what this means

>>16053029
Cool it with the antisemitic remarks

>>16053574
He's a good goy who occasionally misspeaks.

>>16053568
I'm not bothered by his pro-British empire stance as I am by his sycophantic treatment of Kissinger

>>16053526
Neat, thank you anon.

Who are some actual anti-Jude historians? I'm not talking about ones who occasionally say "bankers" or "globalists" but ones who directly impugn the disgusting rat J*ws for their role in history's tragedies.

>>16053597

What's wrong with a positive take on Kissinger? You probably won't get that anywhere else.

>>16053603
David Hoggan.

>>16053487
He's not disliked. He just happen to be another pop-historian who's work is taken too seriously by some

>>16053603
You mean pseudo-historians like David Irving?

>>16053634
>You mean pseudo-historians like David Irving?

>>16053634
wasn't Irving considered one of the finest WW2 historians in the field before making claims which downplayed the Holocaust? At least that's what I heard

why did this thread become so retarded?

>>16053648
Shut up, goy.

>>16053640
>"hitler was a good boy, he dindu nuffin"
>not a pseudo-historian
Pick one.

>>16053657
>t never read anything by Irving
Irving has no friends. Actual nazis don't like him because he criticizes nazis too much, and jews make sure no one else likes him for not criticizing nazis enough.

>>16053652
Because everything is political whether we like it or not.

>>16053634

Irving is the finest WWII historian the world has ever known. There is nobody who knows more about the subject matter.

>>16053699
B-but Richard Evans said!

>>16053671
>From within Hitler’s circle, Irving began to develop an elaborate theory that “the Chief” was innocent after all. After the barrage of unanswerable evidence presented at his trial, Irving now concedes that the Holocaust happened – and there were “some” gassings at Auschwitz – but he insists Hitler had no idea it was going on. It was orchestrated by the evil Joseph Goebbels and his staff. They deliberately hid it from Hitler, because he was “the best friend the Jews had in the Third Reich.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/david-irving-hitler-appointed-me-his-biographer-1366464.html
This is enough for me to know that the guy is either a liar or just a retard. Hell, Goebbels isn't even a good scapegoat since it was Himmler and the SS who organized the Holocaust.

>>16053699
Ian Kershaw

>>16053712

Fuck Evans, and fuck Browning.

>>16053750

Kuckshaw is not that good.

>>16053770
Better than David Irving

>>16053727
>article written by a yid saying Irving is bad

Utter snoozefest.

>>16053780
It's a fucking interview you dimwit.

>>16053727
>A hitpiece by this mainstream liberal pundit is all I need
Ok. You're that kind of guy. Meanwhile Irving is the kind of guy that tracks down all of Hitler's notables and constructs 1000 page long history books over the course of a decade digging through archives for primary sources.

>>16053792
See >>16053791
It's David Irvings own words.

>>16053800
>NO DON'T MAKE ME DO MY OWN RESEARCH I WANT TO LISTEN TO THE INDEPENDENT

>>16053812
>An interview is essentially a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.[1] In common parlance, the word "interview" refers to a one-on-one conversation between an interviewer and an interviewee. The interviewer asks questions to which the interviewee responds, usually so information is offered by the interviewee to interviewer -- and that information may be used or provided to other audiences, whether in real time or later.

>>16053727
Nice edited interview with commentary.

>Goebbels isn't even a good scapegoat since it was Himmler and the SS who organized the Holocaust.
You obviously know nothing about Irving. He has a book he's been working on for 15 years about Himmler, and interviews discussing how he thinks Himmler was the mastermind of Irving's version of the holocaust. He even goes into it in "Hitler's War" and "Goebbels". You're a fucking moron who doesn't know what he's talking about.

>>16053821

>I have very often in my lifetime been a prophet and have been mostly derided. At the time of my struggle for power it was in the first instance the Jewish people who only greeted with laughter my prophecies that I would someday take over the leadership of the state and of the entire people of Germany and then, among other things, also bring the Jewish problem to its solution. I believe that this hollow laughter of Jewry in Germany has already stuck in its throat. I want today to be a prophet again: if international finance Jewry inside and outside Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, the result will be not the Bolshevization of the earth and thereby the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.
Adolf Hitler, 30/1 1939.
Please tell me again that Irving is right and that Hitler dindu nuffin.

>>16053845
>Please tell me again that Irving is right and that Hitler dindu nuffin.
Irving doesn't say that. He used to say that Hitler didn't know about mass executions conducted by Himmler, but he doesn't even say that anymore. You have ZERO clue what you're speaking of.

>>16053857
So he constantly changes views? Why should anyone take him seriously?

>>16053863
That's what any responsible historian does when he uncovers new evidence, fucktard.

>>16051807
In addition to >>16053263 Barry O'Meara's Napoleon in Exile. O'Meara was his doctor/companion in exile in St Helena. He thought Napoleon was badly treated, and it's a pretty human portrait of the exEmperor. I think being a doctor gave him a kind of compassionate but still professional remove that allows him to defend Napoleon's human rights without sympathising with his cause too much.
>>16053083
You can also read Caesar's own accounts of his campaigns. >>16053108 and Plutarch's Lives are great for understanding the mainstream views of Caesar. Shakespeare's version of Caesar and Cicero take a lot from Plutarch, because by the Elizabethan era it was basically the western canon version of George Washington and the cherry tree stories. Plutarch isn't the most accurate but he's one of the more foundational myth makers for Roman/Greek history, much in the same vein as Carlyle's French Revolution being responsible for most of the English language myths about the Revolution.

>>16053871
But he didn't actually uncover new evidence.

>>16053871
So every other historian somehow managed to find out that Hitler was indeed involved in the Holocaust, that the Holocaust indeed occurred, etc., but David Irving could not until recently? Why's that?

>>16053886
They didn't, and Irving is wrong.

>>16053883
I know, he's interpeting certain documents to support his "holocaust by bullet" theory, the same way jewish historians do.

>>16053791
>>16053800

It's an ""interview"" with an absolute load of hatchet-job trimwork. Garbage.

>>16053828

Do you think we'll ever get his newer books? I hope he can finish them.

>>16053935
He probably wants to be dead before the spotlight is on his name again. He's been terrorized for decades now.

>>16053314
Hisgen used be an occasional gen before /his/ was started. It was mostly book recs and bibliographies like half of this thread, with quick summaries and anons chipping in with extra sources. The general itself isn't a problem because it was once historian and heavy reader biased, so they only made threads every few months before fucking off to read the six 500 page times they were rec'd. Those threads don't harm anything, and they help heavy readers contain questions that could otherwise push threads out of the catalog and then die themselves without responses.
However, since /his/ they now also run the risk of gay little back and forth bitching about history channel tier shit and popularity from people who could take the discussion to discord or the nearest gay cottaging spot. In old hisgens anons who were having a back and forth or thought they would be talking a lot together about a specific subject no one else was interested in would exchange emails and fuck off to be history books together out of sight like decent people. Now we have, in addition to the usual beneficial qualities of a hisgen, the new development of idiot facebook readers who are basically discussing things they once heard on TV or through a YouTube mashup instead of books.

>>16053959

Perhaps so, but I'd really like to have them. His work has been invaluable to the study of WWII.

>>16053845
>annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.

From the same speech:
>I believe the earlier this problem is resolved, the better. For Europe cannot find peace before it has dealt properly with the Jewish question.
>It is possible that the necessity of resolving this problem sooner or later should bring about agreement in Europe, even between nations which otherwise might not have reconciled themselves as readily with one another. There is more than enough room for settlement on this earth. All we need to do is put an end to the prevailing assumption that the Dear Lord chose the Jewish people to be the beneficiaries of a certain percentage of the productive capacities of other peoples’ bodies and their labors. Either the Jews will have to adjust to constructive, respectable activities, such as other people are already engaged in, or, sooner or later, they will succumb to a crisis of yet inconceivable proportions.

>There is more than enough room for settlement on this earth
>There is more than enough room for settlement on this earth
>There is more than enough room for settlement on this earth

He's talking about kicking the jews out of Europe, not killing them.

In the 12th of Nov 1944 speech Hitler betrays his distinguishing of "annihilation" from "extermination"
>It regarded them as the first dawn of a general realization of its destructive work against the nations and as an eminent danger. Perhaps times have changed, but the essence of the fight forced on us has remained the same. What has remained is, first, our own objective: the preservation of our Volk and the securing of its future by all means; and, second,[b] the objective of our enemies: the annihilation of our Volk, its extermination, and the ending of its existence.

One actually doesn't need to know German to recognize that this sentence supports the notion that to Adolf Hitler annihilation, extermination and ending existence were different concepts that could however be used in concert against a nation.

>>16054024
He is a great historian, no doubt. That he comes under so much scrutiny from people who promote demonstrable nonsense themselves only strengthens his position. He gets things wrong, but no better foundation can be built if you want to know about German WW2 history.

>>16054045
>>It is possible that the necessity of resolving this problem sooner or later should bring about agreement in Europe, even between nations which otherwise might not have reconciled themselves as readily with one another. There is more than enough room for settlement on this earth.
He could have meant that European nations shouldn't fight each other since there is more than enough room for settlement on this earth.

Is Dikötter's trilogy on Mao's China any good?
From what I remember the books got pretty good reviews from newspapers, but their reception by historians was far more mixed.

>>16054124
Yeah, that's true, and, in fact, looking into commentary and translations of the speech, it's pretty well agreed upon, even by revisionists, that there is and innuendo of death in the comment, despite not explicitly speaking of killing with the use of "annihilation/destruction".

Dr. Stäglich gives context to the speech:
>"That these words were nothing else than an answer to the permanent war threats of influential zionist circles is quite obvious. They were meant to be a warning to the address of the zionist war agitators. So Härtle writes [Heinrich Härtle, "Freispruch für Deutschland", Schütz-Verlag, Göttingen 1965, p. 164] that with this speech, if anything, Hitler's will to keep peace by all means can be proven; he didn't want to start a war in order to be able to exterminate the jews, but he did threaten with the destruction of the jews in order to prevent a war from being started."
[Dr. Wilhelm Stäglich, "Der Auschwitz-Mythos. Legende oder Wirklichkeit? Eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme", Historical Review Press, Brighton 21984, p. 86/87]

Regardless of how anyone interprets his speeches, though, there has still not been provided any proof of the Holocaust in action, only mass transportation.

>>16054134
trash

>>16053083
in this order

Assuming you know nothing about Ancient Rome, read:
>Oxford History of the Roman World

Otherwise, skip that, and read:
>Caesar: Life of a Colossus
>Commentary on the Gallic Wars

>>16054216
>trash
Could you elaborate that?

>>16053578
why

>>16035654
The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

>>16047467
Wasn't "NATO's Secret Armies" shredded to bits for the most part by other historians, because Ganser made a whole bunch wild conspiracy allegations and connections and quoted proven soviet fakes like US Army Field Manual 30-31B?

>>16036692
Take this book as poetry, it's a great read if you don't mind its being outdated.

>>16054710
>NATO's Secret Armies
The topic itself has to dabble in a lot of conspiracies imo

>>16054501
its a tankie that doesn't like the light exposing his paradise for what it is, disregard it

>>16053083
Watch Historia Civilis' YouTube series on him. I've never seen a documentary, series, or videos which do as good of a job narrating Caesar's civil war against Pompey. He really motivated me to look more into Caesar and >>16053133 has now been on my reading list for a while, i just haven't had time to get to it.

>>16036445
pro CIA shill

kill your self

>>16035654
Just read Plutarch's Alexander. Nice short read, but packed with amazing details about Alexander and his campaign. This website has a fancy progress bar that makes it fun to burn through: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.01.0243

Anybody have any other recommendations for ancient commentaries on Alexander the great?

>>16055758
Arrian is essential

>>16055404
>Watch Historia Civilis' YouTube series on him

>>16055770
Thank you anon I will read that next, I saw many foot notes referring to him in Plutarch.

>>16055811
then there's also Diodorus Siculus and Quintus Curtius Rufus but they're not as important as Arrian

>reading anything other than primary sources
NGMI

Books about the history of Israel?

>>16055959
will add those too, but may not have time ty fren.

>>16055985
Retard, do you know how much of Western tradition we had to recover from the Suda?

>>16044408

Extremely specific and interesting. Many thanks! and may you receive many (you)'s and double digits in the future.

Any recs for US Civil War history?

>>16054710
Yes but to problem is that it is topic that is really hard to get concrete evidence for things. That is why it is sketchy. However it gives good overall information regarding how in each european country the orginastion manifests itself. I spefically researched one of the cases myself in my native language and it was mostly accurate. But his sources are not really good.

The problem here is that there isnt really a good alternative to this book as far as I know. If somebody knows it please tell me.

>>16056222
Battle Cry of Freedom
Shelby Foote's Civil War Narrative

>>16055792
Historia civilis is one of the better ``youtube historians``

Any good books on Ancient and medieval Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan?

>>16056303
>>16055770

Any good book about the Serenissima?

Does anyone have a PDF of this book?

>>16046124

The Inheritance of Rome deals with the "dark ages" (450-1000). Its not precisely about the migration period but it deals with the transformaitons of Europe after the fall of Rome. Very good.

>>16053966
Fair enough. That's why this thread has already gone off the deep-end. These /generals/ won't do to increase the quality of discussion on /lit/. We need to ban the cancerous off-topic nonsense and /(lefty)pol/ spam, at the least.

>>16056547
Could you do that by either posting good history books ITT or quietly fucking off?

>>16056231
Thanks m80

>>16056558
I believe the Comaroffs' Of Revelation and Revolution should be superceded by letting go of the Weberian Protestantism and the spirit of capitalism thesis. The Comaroffs' basic thesis repeats Weber's thesis, with a particular marxist-type inflection. The trouble is the concensus in historiography has turned against the Weber thesis for over a decade at least, and we should appreciate those insights for Europe's history when writing African history. In fact, Weber's whole 'value-free' schemata of rationality are quite inadequate for grasping the particular intricacies of African societies' make-up. Researchers dealing with big long-standing issues around 'religion', 'magic', 'spirits' etc. can only benefit from turning, at least for a generation, against Weber.

>>16056222
Someone recommended Allan Nevins' series of books on the war on here a while back. I have no idea what kind of reputation they have among real historians, but the fact that he devotes four out of eight books just to the years leading up to the war seems promising.
They're all out of print and kind of hard to find, though.

>>16056669
>This autistic approach to conversation
Why not at least talk to the Evans poster or the Congo poster if you want to talk about the historiography of Africa? Why focus your argument around Weber when there are plenty of people ITT who probably know about the Periplus of the Eritrean Sea and the rest of the pre-Reformation, and therefore unlikely to be any kind of Protestant, histories if the scramble was somehow objectionably written for you? How did you think this was a quality on topic post, when it's the type of shit a bot or a fresher trying to bullshit to a sophomore would type?

>>16056534
Couldn`t find it anon sorry.

>>16056831
Also, since we're talking about out of print multi-volume books on the ACW, I might as well recommend "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War." It's a collection of eyewitness accounts of the war by veterans from both sides, originally published in a magazine between 1887-88. All four volumes have been digitized and are freely available via OSU, you can find them by a quick google search.

>>16056929
Great plug thanks anon

>>16056873
Huh? First, I AM autistic, you're on 4chan m8 can't hold that against me. Second, you asked for "posting good history books", so I made an original contribution, Comaroff's two volume Of revelation and revolution, and I made a quick comment on it to solicit response. Cool off, this thread was filled with muh hitler just a minute ago and you're flaming me.

>>16057029
>First, I AM autistic
prove it

>>16057029
The problem with history is that while you're wailing about Weberian Protestants being the main problem for African historiography, people who know the basic history of African colonization will realise that the Arabs and Portuguese and Belgians wrote far more history in Africa than anyone else and none of them have ever been Protestant. If you had said you wanted a good history on the historiography of Africa and the spirit of capitalism I would have recommended The Making of an Enterprise by Alden, which you'll notice from the subtitle is about Jesuits who are not adverse at all to magic. They're famous for being founded by levitating saints, and, well, the western capitalist colonization and history writing of Africa, Asia and South America. You know so little about what you don't know, which is why you should lurk instead of just posting off topic bitch fests.

>>16056923
Yeah kind of lost hope once I couldn't find it on libgen

>>16057093
To be fair, m8, owning the NPC in 16th Century Jesuit cultural expansion focusing on magic and historiography is probably Shangri-la levels of autism too. Thanks for the rec though, I assume this covers Nepal and Bhutan too.

>>16054045
>even between nations which otherwise might not have reconciled themselves as readily with one another. There is more than enough room for settlement on this earth.
You're taking it out of context. It clearly comes after the heels of the previous statement, which I have included above. He's referring to the contesting of territory between the European nations themselves. Notice how the statement modifies the implied disagreements between the European nations, which are the focus of the previous sentence - the Jewish problem only operates in relation to them.

>>16057151
>Nepal and Bhutan too
A bit, but I've been meaning to pick up one about slightly later in Tibet, because around the point The Making of an Enterprise cuts off, shit starts kicking off for Tibetan Jesuits.
The book title was Jesuit on The Roof of The World, though the author slips my mind. Haven't read it yet so I might be back here in a few months/years decrying it as shit.

I'm not history expert but I thought this was very informative. Hitchens recommended it in some cspan interview. It covers several decades before the revolution in a materialist-type analysis. Huge chunks are directly quoting primary sources instead of just asserting things with some footnotes at the end which I've seen other hist books do.

More like this please.

Anyone has that chart of the Sassanid empire recommended books?

>>16057768

>>16057793

Thanks a bunch

I'm reading a book on Mayan philosophy right now called philosophy of the ancient Maya
Whenever he talks about Mayan metaphysics, it's really interesting shit but every time he introduces an even slightly alien concept to the wasp understanding of the world, he has to go on a double digit page rant about how it's totally okay and rational and normal and don't be you think about doing your pesky orientalismsidjsjlesisms
It gets really exhausting

I found a copy of this today and grabbed it just because it seemed like it'd be worth a penny or two.

That said, it'll definitely illuminate the Jewish conspiracy to persecute Herr Eichmann.

>>16053211
P-pics?

>All these shit biographies and burger politics books
Disgusting

Bought this since I couldn't find a pdf anywhere and it's on the way. I will use it and the Historia Augusta as a base for the historical fiction book I'm writing.

>>16044408
You'll probably like Eco's On Ugliness

>>16060442
what book do you recommend anon?

bump

>>16035654
I've been making my way through memoirs of the First World War, such as pic related also

>Storm of Steel (Ernst Junger)
>Under Fire (Henri Barbusse)
>Poilu (Louis Barthas)
>Undertones of War (Edmund Blunden)

And also fictionalised and semi-fictionalised accounts of the war by people who fought in it such as

>All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Remarque)
>Memoirs of an Infantry Officer (Seigfried Sassoon)
>The Middle Parts of Fortune (Frederic Manning)

If any anons have any suggestions in this vein then let me know, cheers

I found a copy of this yesterday. Is it pop history drivel?

>>16035654
I just love images and print quality. It is bit hard book to find though.

>>16054134
I've got it - It's quite good but digresses a lot with singular events

>>16061865
It's more of a "non-fiction novel" than an actual history book.

>>16061836
memoirs of ww2?
black edelweiss and eastern inferno were pretty good, although sad

what are the best books on the Byzantine empire? is Gibbon worth it?

>>16061836
Gabriel Chevallier's Fear (NYRB rereleased).

>>16064305
Not for Byzantium, he was forced to write vol 4-6 by his publisher and a big paycheck.

A fantastic little history of a little known event (except to our brown skinned latin friends). You dont know how bad things can get.

A grisly and well written narrative history of the Haitian Revolution from a black Stalinist apologist. Extremely grisly.

>>16056303
Silk Road histories.

Wikipedia sucks but combining the further-reading section from before 2010 with book reviews in academic journals is a good way to find the best works on stuff.

>>16064389

All the good that did.

>>16064419
Purely entertaining, things go to absolute shit, which of course makes for the best history.

In which a Prussian who identified politically as a supporter of the Bavarian crown criticizes hitler through the lens of the Munster-Anabaptist rebellion told puriently

>>16064459
Jan van Leiden was based.

>>16064467
There is a really good limited release english language critical edition translated by reck-malleczwen's daughter

>>16064443

Perhaps I'll read it, then. Sometimes it's enjoyable when people are their own undoing.

>>16064494
L'Overture was one in a million, Dessalines and Henri Christophe were living in a brutal state of nature.

>>16064484
also a good book about the munster situation

>>16064389
Does it cover the earlier Irish revolt?

>>16064513
no it starts with the "voodoo poisoning" craze a decade or two earlier

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Mackandal

>>16064530
Any account of the Irish revolt I've come across has worse translation problems
>and then he said something in the language no one understands
>It's possible the thing he said might have been an order to attack since they did
Arabic and French might be easier to get details on even if it confuses "magic" with "poison"

good books on the vikings?
>>16047503
name your best

>>16065380

I don't know about best, but I've grabbed a few that are scarcer. I grabbed Shirer's Sinking of the Bismarck about a week or so ago. I also found a FRESH copy of Unintended Consequences and bought it for $1.49, not realizing they're worth $90+ these days.

Bump more vikings

>>16065380
>>16067079
Sorry was worried it might slip off the catalog before I could post. ibn Fadlan was an Arab who made a journey up through Bulgaria and Russia and saw the Volga vikings. He's one of the first accounts of ship burials.

Most crusade memoirs/ middle age history

Chronicles of the Crusades - Geoffroy de Villehardouin

Achievements of the knights of malta - Alexander sutherland

godfrey of bouillon, the siege and conquest of jerusalem - William archbishop of tyre

The Commentaries de Montluc- Messire Blaize de Montluc

The crusade of richard 1- Thomas Andrew Archer

>>16053322
Most of them will be this >>16050661if you don't pick a focus within the empire.

>>16067252
Thank you. Been looking for some good medieval stuff.

>>16044656
Considering this it's written by an insane South African who is a holocaust denier, I'd guess the book has no credible sources.

>>16068940
He's not insane at all and the sources are listed at the bottom of the text, which is available on libgen. You could delete all the stuff deemed 'problematic' and the book would still be very interesting, unless you think talking about banks is taboo.

>>16053648
Irving's reputation fell when he sued someone for defamation after she called him a holocaust denial. During the trial the defense proved how Irving had deliberately mistranslated and lied about his sources in order to cast Hitler in a positive light. The court ruled that Irving's defamation lawsuit was bullshit and he lost.

>>16057269
I also read this on Hitch's recommendation. It's very dense, but I found the economic/realpolitik analysis of the American Revolution very interesting and a welcome supplement to how that part of history is usually talked about in the US.

Any books on the Safavids?

>>16054134
Very worthwhile read.

>>16057269
Which Hitchens?

>>16046124
some books I have that mostly aren't migration period but you'll be similary interested in are
Jordanes - deeds of the goths
Widukind of Corvey - deeds of the saxons
Snorri - heimskringla
utorronto press - caroligian civilization a reader
nibelungelied
Vinhelm Gronbech- the culture of the teutons
and theres a lot of other stuff if you follow that thread

I highly recommend Midnight in Chernobyl if you're at all interested in Chernobyl. It provides a general background on the Soviet's domestic nuclear ambitions, why such a dangerous design was approved, what happened on the day of the meltdown, what life was like in Pripyat, the effects of radiation sickness, the immediate aftermath and the international community was conned into thinking it was a freak accident.