History and Current Events

Discover new releases in history and current events.

Updated April 1, 2026
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History Matters
David McCullough
Paper Book
In this posthumous collection of thought-provoking essays--many never published before--Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author David McCullough affirms the value of history, how we can be guided by its lessons, and the enduring legacy of American ideals. ...
The Romans: A 2,000-Year History
Edward J. Watts
Paper Book
An acclaimed scholar tells the full, breathtaking history of Rome, from its emergence in the Iron Age to the capture of Constantinople in the thirteenth century "A sweeping historical survey that spans two millennia...Those intrigued by the ebb and flow of political...
Storm at the Capitol: An Oral History of January 6th : An Oral History of January 6th
Jalonick, Mary Clare.
Paper Book
The definitive, unbiased account of the twenty-four hours surrounding the historic January 6th attack on the Capitol "A riveting account of one of the most consequential days in modern American history." --Ryan J. Reilly, author of Sedition Hunters<...
Carthage: A New History
Eve MacDonald
Paper Book
A Waterstones UK Best Book of 2025 A landmark new history of ancient Rome's most famous rival--home of Hannibal, jewel of North Africa, and foundational power of the western Mediterranean. For six hundred years, the city of Carthage dominated the western...
Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
Barry S. Strauss
Paper Book
A new history of two centuries of Jewish revolts against the Roman Empire, drawing on recent archeological discoveries and new scholarship by leading historian Barry Strauss. Jews vs. Rome is a gripping account of one of the most momentous eras in human history: the two...
Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again
Jake Tapper
Paper Book
THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, The Financial Times, Kirkus Reviews, and The Associated Press "Superbly reported . . . Reads like a Shakespearean drama on steroids." -- Los Angeles Times...
The Far Edges of the Known World: Life Beyond the Borders of Ancient Civilization
Owen Rees
Paper Book
When Ovid was exiled from Rome to a border town on the Black Sea, he despaired at his bleak and barbarous new surroundings. Like many Greeks and Romans, Ovid thought the outer reaches of his world was where civilization ceased to exist. Our own fascination with the Greek and Roman world has for...
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor
Christine Kuehn
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * INDIE BESTSELLER "An amazing and gripping tale, full of suspenseful twists and cinematic details" ―New York Times Book Review A propulsive, never-before...
BEING THOMAS JEFFERSON : an intimate history
BURSTEIN, ANDREW.
Paper Book
The deepest dive yet into the heart and soul, secret affairs, unexplored alliances, and bitter feuds of a generally worshipped, intermittently reviled American icon. Perhaps no founding father is as mysterious as Thomas Jefferson. The author of the Declaration of Independence...
End of days : Ruby Ridge, the Apocalypse, and the unmaking of America
Jennings, Chris
Paper Book
"A riveting and thoroughly researched chronicle...reminiscent of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood." --The New York Times Book Review The gripping story of the Ruby Ridge siege, showing how the historic standoff between federal agents and a...
Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right
Laura K. Field
Paper Book
"[An] excellent new book."--Michelle Goldberg, New York Times The story of the radical conservative intellectual movement shaping Donald Trump's agenda--and how it threatens American freedoms, values, and democracy Donald Trump is not a big thinker, but his...
Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy
Julia Ioffe
Paper Book
NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NAMED ONE OF THE 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2025 BY THE WASHINGTON POST NAMED ONE OF THE 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2025 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2025 ...
Independent : a look inside a broken White House, outside the party lines
Jean-Pierre, Karine
Paper Book
A groundbreaking, revelatory assessment of America's broken two-party system. Rachel Maddow calls it "a brave firecracker of a book." In a country obsessed with blind loyalty to a two-party democratic system, Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press...
America, América: A New History of the New World
Greg Grandin
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller * A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, 2025 Kirkus Prize, 2025 Cundill History Prize, and 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker,The New Republic,...
The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
Walter Isaacson
Paper Book
America's bestselling biographer reveals the origins of the most revolutionary sentence in the Declaration of Independence, the one that defines who we are as Americans--and explains how it should shape our politics today. "Isaacson uses a jeweler's loupe to scan what gives...
Proto : how one ancient language went global
Spinney, Laura
Paper Book
Named a Best Book of 2025 by the Guardian and Scientific American "The story of how one language left the steppes of Ukraine and became the earth's dominant language family has become clearer and more exciting than ever before. Hooray for a book where the...
The war within a war : the Black struggle in Vietnam and at home
Haygood, Wil
Paper Book
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE * Award-winning author and journalist Wil Haygood explores how the Vietnam War became a mirror for the struggle of Black Americans--fighting for freedom abroad while demanding equality at home--and a powerful lens through which...
King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation
Scott Anderson
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR NONFICTION * KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER * From the author of the landmark bestseller Lawrence in Arabia comes a stunningly revelatory narrative history...
THE FREE AND THE DEAD: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE BLACK SEMINOLE CHIEF, THE INDIGENOUS REBEL, AND AMERICA'S FORGOTTEN WAR
Holmes, Jamie
Paper Book
The page-turning and revelatory true story of America's disastrous 1835 attack on the Seminoles in pre-statehood Florida, and the two men--a Black American and a renowned Indigenous warrior--who fought back for their homes and freedom, from the author of the "eye...
The American Revolution and the Fate of the World
Richard Bell
Paper Book
In this revelatory and enthralling book, award-winning historian Richard Bell reveals the full breadth and depth of America's founding event. The American Revolution was not only the colonies' triumphant liberation from the rule of an overbearing England; it was also a cataclysm that pulled in...
Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Recreating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations
Sam Kean
Paper Book
Finalist for the 2026 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award | LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER | INDIE BESTSELLER | The New Yorker's Best Books of 2025 From "one of America's smartest and most charming writers" (NPR), an archaeological romp...
Lions and Scavengers : The True Story of America And Her Critics
Shapiro, Ben
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER #1 New York Times bestselling author Ben Shapiro examines the current state of America and Western civilization, and poses a question: will we be Lions, or will we be Scavengers? In a world split between...
The Traitors Circle: The True Story of a Secret Resistance Network in Nazi Germany―and the Spy Who Betrayed Them
Jonathan Freedland
Paper Book
"An astonishing true story of courage, love, and betrayal, told with the verve of a thriller. Freedland is a master at weaving spellbinding entertainments drawn from forgotten corners of history."--Mick Herron, bestselling author of Slow Horses From the New York Times bestselling...
The unfinished business of 1776 : why the American Revolution never ended
Richards, Thomas, Jr.
Paper Book
A clarion call for taking back the American Revolution from the far right, published for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence Who gets to claim the legacy of the American Revolution and the mantle of patriotism that goes along with it? In a sharp,...
2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America
Josh Dawsey
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In 2024, award-winning reporters Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf bring us the definitive, inside story of the most high-stakes and volatile presidential election in modern U.S. history "A well-paced, thorough and...
Boss Lincoln: The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln
Matthew Pinsker
Paper Book
We know Lincoln as the eloquent, compassionate leader of a nation torn by civil war. But he had another, less visible side, equally central to his character and leadership: Lincoln was a master of party politics. Schooled as a Whig in the rough-and-tumble of Illinois electioneering in the 1830s,...
How to Test Negative for Stupid: And Why Washington Never Will
John Kennedy
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER One of the most distinctive and funny politicians, Senator John Kennedy (the one from Louisiana)--hailed by Politico as "America's most quotable Senator"--offers his perceptive (and hilarious) takes on the ridiculousness of political life in this scathingly...
The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy
Josh Ireland
Paper Book
A LitHub and Parade Most Anticipated Book of the Year For fans of Ben Macintyre and Erik Larson, the gripping story of the assassination of Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky and the deadly game of cat and mouse that preceded it On August 20, 1940, Leon...
Gotham at war : a history of New York City from 1933 to 1945
Wallace, Mike
Paper Book
The culminating volume in the acclaimed Gotham series, Gotham at War delivers an unforgettable portrait of America's greatest city during history's most catastrophic conflict. Gotham at War unveils the history of New York and the Second World War, from isolationism and factionalism to...
The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West
Paul Andrew Hutton
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller A Wall Street Journal Top Ten Book of the Year A True West Magazine Best Historical Non-Fiction Book and Best Author of the Year Western Heritage Award for "Outstanding Nonfiction Book" Winner of the Western Writers of America...
Tom Paine's War: The Words That Rallied a Nation and the Founder for Our Time
Jack Kelly
Paper Book
Ten Books We are Looking Forward to in Early 2026 --NPR In 1776, one man's words--and the determination of American patriots--allowed our nation to survive its first crisis. "Exemplary... Kelly explains why Paine and his writing mattered 250 years ago and why...
Ring of fire : a new history of the world at war : 1914
Churchill, Alexandra
Paper Book
The dramatic story of 1914--the start of World War I--presenting an expansive, dynamic history of the start of this truly global conflict. Most countries did not know what they were getting into during the precarious days of 1914. Global citizens believed they were going to get a...
Splendid Liberators: Heroism, Betrayal, Resistance, and the Birth of American Empire
Joe Jackson
Paper Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2025 This immersive epic reveals the origins of the American empire and the lives of those who promoted it and those who resisted it. In 1898, the United States gained an empire, and--many allege--lost its soul. In...
The finest hotel in Kabul : a people's history of Afghanistan
Doucet, Lyse
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION The story of a hotel. The story of a nation. When the Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, Afghanistan's first luxury hotel symbolised...
The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World
Tilar J. Mazzeo
Paper Book
The true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation of Antarctica's deadly waters, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow Clicquot Summer, 1856 Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten and her...
Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II
Tom Clavin
Paper Book
A Library Journal Best Book of 2025 The true story of the deadliest submarine in World War II and the courageous captain who survived torture and imprisonment at the hands of the enemy. There was one submarine that outfought all other boats in the...
The Blood in Winter: England on the Brink of Civil War, 1642
Jonathan Healey
A riveting account of the five heated months in which King Charles I attempted to arrest five dissident Members of Parliament by bringing an armed force to the House of Commons--a shocking act of political terrorism that pushed England toward civil war and planted the seeds of the American...
Under Siege: My Family's Fight to Save Our Nation
Trump Eric
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NATIONAL BESTSELLER In this eye-opening memoir, Eric Trump relays surprising and gripping moments throughout his life and career as part of one of America's most...
Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World
Jane Ziegelman
Paper Book
A powerful exploration of the books created by Jewish Holocaust survivors to honor their lost world "An animated tapestry." --Wall Street Journal By the close of World War II, six million Jews had been erased from the face of the earth. Those who...
We Survived the Night
Julian Brave NoiseCat
Paper Book
A stunning narrative from one of the most powerful young writers at work today, and the director of the Oscar®-nominated documentary, Sugarcane, We Survived the Night interweaves oral history with hard-hitting journalism and a deeply personal father-son journey into a searing...
The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America
David Baron
Paper Book
"There is Life on the Planet Mars" --New York Times, December 9, 1906 This New York Times headline was no joke. In the early 1900s, many Americans actually believed we had discovered intelligent life on Mars, as best-selling science writer David...
Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America
Scott Ellsworth
Paper Book
Told with a page-turning pace and eye-opening cast of characters, Ellsworth sets out to correct a pivotal moment of American history that we have gotten completely wrong-until now. Jam-packed with fresh, revelatory evidence, Ellsworth's research strongly infers that by the time that the house lights...
1942: When World War II Engulfed the Globe
Peter Fritzsche
Paper Book
A penetrating history of the year World War II became a global conflict and humankind confronted both destruction and deliverance on a planetary scale, "offering an intriguing perspective on a world at war" (Richard Overy, New York Times-bestselling author of Blood and Ruins)
World Enemy No. 1: Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and the Fate of the Jews
Jochen Hellbeck
Paper Book
A finalist for the 75th National Jewish Book Award in nonfiction A major new history that transforms our understanding of World War II--tracing the conflict and its most infamous crime, the Holocaust, to Germany's implacable hostility toward Soviet Russia In the West...
The Chosen and The Damned: Native Americans and the Making of Race in the United States
David J. Silverman
Paper Book
A sweeping chronicle placing race at the center of Native American U.S. history, from the award-winning author of This Land Is Their Land. When the colonial era began, Europeans did not consider themselves as "Whites," and Native Americans did not think of themselves as...
Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of the Modern Asia
Sam Dalrymple
Paper Book
A Financial Times, NPR, and BBC History Best Book of the Year A bold and sweeping history of modern South Asia, told through the five partitions that reshaped it. As recently as 1928, a vast swath of Asia stretching from the Red Sea to the borders of...
Goliath's Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse
Luke Kemp
Paper Book
"In the modern tradition of Big Books of human history like Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens and David Graeber and David Wengrow's The Dawn of Everything, Goliath's Curse provides a novel theory of civilizational development. . . . [It] feels something like reading the French...

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