History and Current Events

Discover new releases in history and current events.

Updated July 19, 2024
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Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World
Mary Beard
Paper Book
In her international bestseller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome, from its slightly shabby Iron Age origins to its reign as the undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean. Now, drawing on more than thirty years of teaching and writing about Roman history, Beard turns to...
Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party
Jonathan Karl
Paper Book
In the wake of January 6 and aided by his absence from Twitter, Donald Trump seemed to have faded from daily news coverage. After an unsuccessful reelection campaign, the losses continue to rack up: record fines for obstruction of justice, fights over real estate, and federal records rule violations...
Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens
David Mitchell
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER * A rollicking history of England's kings and queens from Arthur to Elizabeth I, a tale of power, glory, and excessive beheadings by award-winning British actor and comedian David Mitchell "Clever, amusing, gloriously bizarre and...
November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II
Peter Englund
Paper Book
The New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * An intimate history of the most important month of World War II, completely based on the diaries, letters and memoirs of the people who lived through it At the beginning of November 1942, it looked as if the Axis powers...
Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts
Bill O'Reilly
Paper Book
The instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestseller! Killing the Witches revisits one of the most frightening and inexplicable episodes in American history: the events of 1692 and 1693 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. What...
Who's Afraid of Gender?
Judith Butler
Paper Book
National Bestseller. Named a Best Book of 2024 (so far) by NPR, Harper's Bazaar, W, and Esquire, and a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Los Angeles Times, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Kirkus, Literary Hub,...
The Revolutionary Temper
Robert Darnton
Paper Book
When a Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille in July 1789, it triggered an event of global consequence: the overthrow of the monarchy and the birth of a new society. Most historians account for the French Revolution by viewing it in retrospect as the outcome of underlying conditions such as a...
Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction
Fergus M. Bordewich
Ebook
A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A stunning history of the first national anti-terrorist campaign waged on American soil--when Ulysses S. Grant wielded the power of the federal government to dismantle the KKK The Ku Klux Klan, which celebrated historian Fergus...
Empires of the Steppes: A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization
Kenneth W. Harl
Paper Book
TRADE PAPERBACK EDITION NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER A narrative history of how Attila, Genghis Khan and the so-called barbarians of the steppes shaped world civilization. The barbarian nomads of the Eurasian steppes have played a decisive role in...
Alexandria: The City that Changed the World
Islam Issa
Paper Book
An original, authoritative, and lively cultural history of the first modern city, from pre-Homeric times to the present day. Islam Issa's father had always told him about their city's magnificence, and as he looked at the new library in Alexandria it finally hit home. This is no...
Enough
Cassidy Hutchinson
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Cassidy Hutchinson's desk was mere steps from the most controversial president in recent American history. Now, she provides a riveting account of her extraordinary experiences as an idealistic young woman thrust into the middle of a national...
Teddy and Booker T.: How Two American Icons Blazed a Path for Racial Equality
Brian Kilmeade
Paper Book
When President Theodore Roosevelt welcomed the country's most visible Black man, Booker T. Washington, into his circle of counselors in 1901, the two confronted a shocking and violent wave of racist outrage. In the previous decade, Jim Crow laws had legalized discrimination in the South, eroding...
Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
Anderson Cooper
Paper Book
The number one New York Times bestselling authors of Vanderbilt return with another riveting history of a legendary American family, the Astors, and how they built and lavished their fortune. The story of the Astors is a...
Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America
Ted Cruz
Paper Book
Our institutions have gone "woke." Everybody knows that. But nobody has come up with a way to stop it. Until now. In this hard-hitting new book, Senator Ted Cruz delivers a realistic battle plan for defeating the woke assault on America. The Democratic Party is now...
The Last Ships from Hamburg: Business, Rivalry, and the Race to Save Russia's Jews on the Eve of World War I
Steven Ujifusa
Paper Book
"A captivating group portrait of three 'titans' of industry who facilitated the steamship routes by which around 2 million Jewish refugees, fleeing pogroms and discrimination, immigrated from Europe to America between 1890 and 1921. . . . Ujifusa ties this intricate business history into a...
Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America
Steve Inskeep
Paper Book
In 1855, with the United States at odds over slavery, the lawyer Abraham Lincoln wrote a note to his best friend, the son of a Kentucky slaveowner. Lincoln rebuked his friend for failing to oppose slavery. But he added: 'If for this you and I must differ, differ we must,' and said they would be...
Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System
Ryan J. Reilly
Ebook
The January 6th attack is an unprecedented crime in American history. Sprawling and openly political, it can't be handled by the traditional rules and norms of law enforcement--threatening the very idea of justice and its role in society. The attack on the Capitol...
Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power
Leah Redmond Chang
Paper Book
Finalist for The Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Biography) One of the New Yorker's Best Books of 2023 One of BookRiot's Best Biographies of 2023 Longlisted for the 2024 Women's Prize in Nonfiction The boldly...
Germany 1923: Hyperinflation, Hitler's Putsch, and Democracy in Crisis
Volker Ullrich
Paper Book
The great Austrian writer Stefan Zweig confided in his autobiography: "I have a pretty thorough knowledge of history, but never, to my recollection, has it produced such madness in such gigantic proportions." He was referring to Germany in 1923, a "year of lunacy," defined by hyperinflation,...
Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and THE WASHINGTON POST
Martin Baron
Paper Book
"A closely observed, gripping chronicle of politics and journalism during a decade of turmoil." --The New York Times Book Review Politics. Money. Media. Tech. ...It's all here in Collision of Power. "All the President's Men for a new...
The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court
Mr. Gareth Russell
Paper Book
A "riotously readable...tender and affectionate" (Daily Mail, London) exploration of five hundred years of British history--from King Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth II--as seen through the doorways of the exquisite Hampton Court Palace. Architecturally breathtaking...
The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy
Stuart Stevens
Paper Book
"This is the first must-read of the 2024 election cycle if you want to understand the stakes." -Nicolle Wallace Former chief Republican strategist, Lincoln Project adviser, and bestselling author of It Was All a Lie, Stuart Stevens offers an ominous...
The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943
James Holland
Paper Book
Acclaimed WWII historian James Hollandboth narrates and reframes the controversial first months of the ItalianCampaign and sets a new standard in the chronicling of war Following victory in Sicily, whilethe central command planned the spring 1944...
Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South
elizabeth varon
Paper Book
Finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography American Battlefield Trust Prize for History Finalist A "compelling portrait" (Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize­-winning author) of the controversial Confederate general who later embraced Reconstruction and...
Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country
Adam Kinzinger
Paper Book
On January 6, 2021, America watched in horror as a violent mob led by right-wing extremist groups stormed the U.S. Capitol in support of then-President Donald Trump. It was one of the darkest days in recent history, yet to former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger it was also the culmination of a...
The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang
Tom Clavin
Paper Book
The definitive account of the Dalton Gang and the most brazen bank heist in history, by the multiple New York Times bestselling author. The Last Outlaws is the thrilling true story of the last of one of the greatest outlaw gangs. The dreaded Dalton Gang consisted...
Black AF History : the un-whitewashed story of America
Michael Harriot
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From acclaimed columnist and political commentator Michael Harriot, a searingly smart and bitingly hilarious retelling of American history that corrects the record and showcases the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans. America...
Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close
Hannah Carlson
Paper Book
"Who knew the humble pocket could hold so much history? In this enthralling and always surprising account, Hannah Carlson turns the pocket inside out and out tumble pocket watches, coins, pistols, and a riveting centuries-long social and political history." ―Jill Lepore, author...
I Love Russia: Reporting from a Lost Country
Елена Костюченко
Paper Book
* Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker and TIME * Winner of the Pushkin House Book Prize * A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * "A haunting book of rare courage." --Clarissa Ward, CNN chief international correspondent and author of...
The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time
Yascha Mounk
Paper Book
Named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, Financial Times, Inc., Prospect Magazine, and The Conversation "The most comprehensive and reasonable story of this shift that has yet been attempted . . . Mounk has told the story of the Great...
The Deadline: Essays
Jill Lepore
Paper Book
Few, if any, historians have brought such insight, wisdom, and empathy to public discourse as Jill Lepore. Arriving at The New Yorker in 2005, Lepore, with her panoptical range and razor-sharp style, brought a transporting freshness and a literary vivacity to everything from profiles of long-dead...
Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II
Lena S. Andrews
Paper Book
National Bestseller * Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist "An ingenious look at WWII." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) A groundbreaking new history of the role of American servicewomen in WWII, illuminating their forgotten yet essential contributions to the Allies' victory. ...
Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia
Gary J. Bass
Paper Book
ACCLAIMED AS ONE OF THE YEAR'S 10 BEST BOOKS BY THE WASHINGTON POST * 12 ESSENTIAL NONFICTION BOOKS BY THE NEW YORKER * 100 NOTABLE BOOKS BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * BEST BOOKS BY THE ECONOMIST, FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AND AIR MAIL * 10 ESSENTIAL BOOKS BY THE TELEGRAPH<...
The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts
Loren Grush
Paper Book
"Vivid." --The Guardian * "Engrossing." --Booklist * "Suspenseful, meticulously observed, enlightening." --Margot Lee Shetterly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Figures In this account of America's first women astronauts "Grush...
The Longest Minute: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906
Matthew J. Davenport
Paper Book
A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice Matthew J. Davenport's The Longest Minute is the spellbinding true story of the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, and how a great earthquake sparked a devastating and preventable firestorm. At 5:12...
UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here―and Out There
Garrett M. Graff
Paper Book
"One of the rare books on the topic that manages to be both entertaining and factually grounded." --The Wall Street Journal From the bestselling author of Raven Rock, The Only Plane in the Sky, and Watergate (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in history)...
Opinions
Roxane Gay
Paper Book
From beloved and bestselling author Roxane Gay, "a strikingly fresh cultural critic" (Washington Post) comes an exhilarating collection of her essays on culture, politics, and everything in between. Since the publication of the groundbreaking Bad Feminist and Hunger, Roxane Gay has...
Cashing Out: The Flight of Nazi Treasure, 1945–1948
Neill Lochery
Paper Book
When Nazis looked to flee Europe with stolen art, gems, and gold in tow, certain "neutral" countries were all too willing to assist them. By the end of January 1945, it was clear to Germany that the war was lost. The Third Reich was in freefall, and its leaders,...
In the pines : a lynching, a lie, a reckoning
Grace Elizabeth Hale
Paper Book
Winner of the Mississippi Historical Society Book of the Year Award In this "courageous and compelling ... essential and critically important" book (Bryan Stevenson), an award-winning scholar of white supremacy tackles her toughest research assignment yet: the unsolved...
Sailing the Graveyard Sea: The Deathly Voyage of the Somers, the U.S. Navy's Only Mutiny, and the Trial That Gripped the Nation
Richard Snow
Paper Book
A "compelling" (The Wall Street Journal) account of the only mutiny in the history of the United States Navy--a little-known but once notorious event that cost three young men their lives--part murder mystery, part courtroom drama, and as propulsive and dramatic as the bestselling...
The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: and the Path to a Shared American Future
Robert P. Jones
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller Taking the story of white supremacy in America back to 1493, and examining contemporary communities in Mississippi, Minnesota, and Oklahoma for models of racial repair, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy is "full of urgency and...
The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution
Ryan Grim
Paper Book
Semafor's Best Political Book of 2023 A riveting insider account of the progressive movement in Congress centering A.O.C., Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar--their rise, their efforts to set an ambitious agenda for the country,...
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I
Douglas Brunt
Paper Book
The hidden history of one of the world's greatest inventors, a man who disrupted the status quo and then disappeared into thin air on the eve of World War I--this book answers the hundred-year-old mystery of what really became of Rudolf Diesel. September 29, 1913: the steamship...
Breaking Biden: Exposing the Hidden Forces and Secret Money Machine Behind Joe Biden, His Family, and His Administration
Alex Marlow
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The New York Times bestselling author of the "must-read" (Sean Hannity) Breaking the News and editor-in-chief of Breitbart News Network returns with this timely and eye-opening deep dive investigation into the 46th president....
The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA
Liza Mundy
Paper Book
A "rip-roaring" (Steve Coll), "staggeringly well-researched" (The New York Times) history of three generations at the CIA, "electric with revelations" (Booklist) about the women who fought to become operatives, transformed spycraft, and tracked down Osama bin Laden, from the...
Silent cavalry : how Union soldiers from Alabama helped Sherman burn Atlanta, and then got written out of history
Howell Raines
Paper Book
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist reveals the little-known story of the Union soldiers from Alabama who played a decisive role in the Civil War, and how they were scrubbed from the history books. "It is my sincere hope that this compelling and submerged history is integrated into...
How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement
Fredrik deBoer
Paper Book
An eye-opening exploration of American policy reform, or lack thereof, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement and how the country can do better in the future from Fredrik deBoer, "one of the sharpest and funniest writers on the internet" (The New York...

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