Best 17th Century World History

Their champion was a progressive, young lawyer named Adriaen van der Donck, who emerges in these pages as a forgotten American patriot and whose political vision brought him into conflict with Peter Stuyvesant, the autocratic director of the Dutch colony. Mining a trove of recently translated 17th-century records of New Netherland, Shorto reconstructs, in fascinating detail, the little-told story behind the Dutch settlement and its capital, Manhattan. Shorto, author of two previous books and articles published in the New Yorker and the New York TimesMag azine, presents an outstanding and revealing chronicle of the Dutch presence on Manhattan Island. Shorto also highlights the contributions of Andriaen van der Donck, an energetic, charismatic man who played an integral part in creating a dynamic, diverse, and tolerant society that appears refreshing when compared to the neighboring Puritan-dominated colony in Massachusetts.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Shortly after arriving, the father of the family was killed by the Lenape (Delaware) Indians, The mother quickly re-married."
"The history of New York before it became a British possession is shown to be a vibrant, busy and diverse Dutch colony with many characters contributing to make New York City what it is today; a melting pot of many different cultures."
"Reading this excellent history is like walking into the past and grasping the feelings, cultural tastes and inspiration of the Dutch in those early years."
"The Island introduced wonderful details about New Amsterdam and New Netherslands."
"I knew that my husband's Dutch ancestors helped to settle Kingston, NY, but never realized that they were a part of a much larger group of Dutch traders and settlers."
"Russell Shorto has made early New York City come alive through rich personal experiences."
"Excelent book!"
"Russell Shorto worked with researchers and translators to bring to light knowledge that had been lost in the Anglocentric view of America."

Europe in 1618 was riven between Protestants and Catholics, Bourbon and Hapsburg--as well as empires, kingdoms, and countless principalities. She is a superb stylist, her eye for colorful detail is unerring, and she has an unrivaled capacity for catching the signs and sounds and smells of the past." She published her first history, The Thirty Years War (1938), before her thirtieth birthday, and in the years that followed wrote a succession of chronicles of seventeenth-century Europe that made her one of the most popular and best-known historians in Britain. Her most important works include The King’s Peace ; The King’s War ; and William the Silent: William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, 1533–1584 , which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography in 1944. She was a member of the Institute for Advanced Studies, a Dame of the British Empire, and in 1969 became the third woman to be appointed a member of the British Order of Merit.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A truly engaging and informative history of a very depressing time."
"It filled in a huge blank period in my knowledge of European history."
"A dense but compelling history involving countries as spread as Germany, Russia, Sweden, Rome and Britain is full of dynastic quarrels, religious, rulership bribery and corruption."
"A history of a horrible period in history that, although decades old, still resonates."
"The use of contemporary sources in the original languages (translated of course - except for a few phrases that I had my mobile device nearby to translate) makes the narrative all the more vivid."
"Basically, for those unfamiliar with the war, it describes a series of campaigns that arose, nominally at least, out of religious conflict within present day Germany and evolved into what we might now call a proxy war fought on German soil between France and Spain, the Hapsburgs and the Bourbons, for European preeminence--with the Danes and Swedes thrown in for good measure. As divided as it was in the 17th Century, one of the German alliances actually came within a day's march of Paris during these campaigns---It brings to mind the comment back in the early 90's after the Berlin Wall fell by some waggish fellow on a BBC programme that the reunification was making Germany's neighbours nervous, "France last week offered to surrender.""
"Excellent "classic" history."
"One of the most complete history books written about Europe as it explains how a war mostly centered around Germany could effect so many players for so long."

She set sail with great fanfare, but the Batavia and her gold would never reach Java, for the Company had also sent along a new employee, Jeronimus Corneliszoon, a bankrupt and disgraced man who possessed disarming charisma and dangerously heretical ideas. With the help of a few disgruntled sailors, Jeronimus soon sparked a mutiny that seemed certain to succeed—but for one unplanned event: In the dark morning hours of June 3, the Batavia smashed through a coral reef and ran aground on a small chain of islands near Australia. Impeccably researched and beautifully written, Batavia’s Graveyard is the next classic of narrative nonfiction, the book that secures Mike Dash’s place as one of the finest writers of the genre. Though the killings make a substantial, chilling tale in themselves, Dash adroitly places the shocking spree in larger context with illuminating discussions of 17th century medical practices, religious heresy, global politics, and shipboard sociology and daily life. Additionally, he draws dozens of portraits of the participants in this ghastly drama, most fascinatingly that of Corneliszoon, who emerges as a grotesquely charismatic predecessor of the likes of Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. In Dash's account, the survivors 300 passengers and about 50 sociopathic crewmen settled on the tiny island, soon to be called Batavia's Graveyard, and quickly became madhouse models of Dutch social classes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I love true accounts of historical events, and this book was recommended to me by a friend as being "right up my alley"."
"There are not many books that depict or discuss psychopaths."
"Author's writing is informative without being pedantic."
"So many things will be of great interest and irony to the reader, such as the horrible eco-environmental damage already being perpetrated in the 1600's by Europeans as well as one of the tortures utilized (which disturbingly is still used today), water boarding."
"The meat of the story starts around chapter 6."
"Excellent look back at a horrific series of events and a good look into maritime life in a bygone era."
"Lots of pre-story and post-story info."
"My two minor complaints are the bizarre consonant rich Dutch names, you get confused by them as they are all similar and its hard to keep track of who's who in the zoo."
Best Baroque Art

An Italian village on a hilltop near the Adriatic coast, a decaying palazzo facing the sea, and in the basement, cobwebbed and dusty, lit by a single bulb, an archive unknown to scholars. Here, a young graduate student from Rome, Francesca Cappelletti, makes a discovery that inspires a search for a work of art of incalculable value, a painting lost for almost two centuries. Four hundred years ago, he drank and brawled in the taverns and streets of Rome, moving from one rooming house to another, constantly in and out of jail, all the while painting works of transcendent emotional and visual power. Prizewinning author Jonathan Harr embarks on an spellbinding journey to discover the long-lost painting known as The Taking of Christ–its mysterious fate and the circumstances of its disappearance have captivated Caravaggio devotees for years. Told with consummate skill by the writer of the bestselling, award-winning A Civil Action , The Lost Painting is a remarkable synthesis of history and detective story. [you'll] enjoy Harr's more clearly reported details about life in the city, as when--one of my favorite moments in the whole book--Francesca and another young colleague try to calm their nerves before a crucial meeting with a forbidding professor by eating gelato. "Jonathan Harr has taken the story of the lost painting, and woven from it a deeply moving narrative about history, art and taste--and about the greed, envy, covetousness and professional jealousy of people who fall prey to obsession. In 1992 a young art student uncovered a clue in an obscure Italian archive that led to the discovery of Caravaggio's original The Taking of the Christ , a painting that had been presumed lost for over 200 years. Broken into short, succinct chapters, the narrative unfolds at a brisk pace, skipping quickly from the perspective of 91-year-old Caravaggio scholar Sir Denis Mahon to that of young, enterprising Francesca Cappelletti, a graduate student at the University of Rome researching the disappearance of The Taking of Christ . But while adept at coordinating dates and analyzing hairline fractures in aged paint, Harr often seems overly concerned with the step-by-step process of tracking down The Taking of the Christ , as if the specific artist who created it were irrelevant.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A refreshing non-fiction book on the discovery of a Caravaggio masterpiece, the story flowed like a mystery."
"Reads like a spy novel."
"Wonderful non-fiction."
"Insightful plotting renders this exhaustively researched saga a page-turner with its heart in art history."
"I am a great fan of the artist."
"Not the kind of book I would usually read."
"If you are into Italian art history you will appreciate this thoughtfully researched and enjoyable nonfiction story."
"Slow Going."
Best 18th Century World History

a great story in the hands of a master storyteller.”— The Wall Street Journal The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history. “[A] compelling portrait not just of a Russian titan, but also of a flesh-and-blood woman.”— Newsweek “An absorbing, satisfying biography.”— Los Angeles Times “Juicy and suspenseful.”— The New York Times Book Review “A great life, indeed, and irresistibly told.”—Salon NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times • The Washington Post • USA Today • The Boston Globe • San Francisco Chronicle • Chicago Tribune • Newsweek/ The Daily Beast. • Salon • Vogue • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Providence Journal • Washington Examiner • South Florida Sun-Sentinel • BookPage • Bookreporter • Publishers Weekly BONUS: This edition contains a Catherine the Great reader's guide. In 1744, at the age of 14, she was taken by her ambitious mother--removed from her family, her religion, and her country--to a foreign land with a single goal: marry a prince and bear him an heir. Massie, a former president of the Authors Guild, is a seasoned biographer of the 400-year Romanov dynasty, most notably with Peter the Great: His Life and World , which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 and remains one of the most arresting biographies I've even encountered. Married to an incompetent man-child who was unwilling or unable to help her fulfill her primary role--giving birth to a son--she ultimately grew to become a trailblazer among monarchs: friend of philosophical giants, incomparable patron of the arts, prosecutor of multiple wars, pioneer of public health, maker of kings, and prodigious serial lover. Indeed, her accomplishments and shortcomings as an autocrat and a woman make for a remarkable saga, but that's not to say that just any author could do justice to Catherine's lasting legacy. Massie situates Catherine's early life and three-decade reign as empress amidst the tumult of the European Enlightenment, enriching his own narrative with telling excerpts of her letters and rich discussions of her political environment and personal motivations. ” —The Wall Street Journal “Dense and detailed, enriched by pages of full-color illustrations, Massie’s latest will transport history lovers .” —People. He understands plot—fate—as a function of character, and the narrative perspective he establishes and maintains, a vision tightly aligned with that of his subject, convinces a reader he’s not so much looking at Catherine the Great as he is out of her eyes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Catherine the Great gave me a look into Russian history, something I didn't have prior to reading it."
"Extremely interesting, we should all read this and other Massie books about Russia, whose history is fascinating."
"Having no knowledge of Russian history, this book was a real eye-opener."
"The author's knowledge of Catherine, her history and all of the events which placed her in the throne is both wide and deep. Secondly, I have no reason to suspect that the author's knowledge of his subject matter is either wrong or incomplete, but there is one glaring instance when he deviates from Russian history and makes a comparison to an outside arena. Irksome as that is, it is the result of sloppy research or unquestioning popular but incorrect knowledge, and it does throw a small cloud of suspicion on the book as a whole."
"He convincingly demonstrates how this isolated and neglected young princess from Germany was able to "work the system" and not only survive but end up in control of a huge empire and rule it intelligently. And it explains why she was unable to dismantle serfdom, which she detested, even in gradual stages. Massie is quite sensible and cuts through a lot of nonsense that gets endlessly repeated: for example the so-called "Potemkin villages" were not cardboard fakes, but real working towns founded by Potemkin with Catherine's patronage...including cities still thriving like Odessa. In all, it is a wonderful contribution to American understanding of a complicated part of the world."
"Fascinating biography of the famous emproress Catherine the Great."
Best 16th Century World History

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas comes a brilliant and inspiring biography of the most influential man in modern history, Martin Luther, in time for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. On All Hallow’s Eve in 1517, a young monk named Martin Luther posted a document he hoped would spark an academic debate, but that instead ignited a conflagration that would forever destroy the world he knew. A beautifully balanced separation of fact from fiction.” —Hugh Hewitt “If you had to make a list of five people who shaped the modern West, Martin Luther would be on it. With a light and rapid touch that nonetheless is capable of conveying deep truths and insights, Metaxas deftly blends these many elements into a narrative that reads as compellingly as a novel. I imagine that Luther himself—not an easy man to please—would be deeply impressed by this master portraiture.” —Mark Helprin, bestselling author of Winter’s Tale and A Soldier of the Great War. With his customary verve and elegance, profound reverence, and biting wit, Metaxas’s Martin Luther is an education in the meaning of man’s relation to God. Gerald L. Schroeder, lecturer and teacher at College of Jewish Studies Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Seminar “This massive but eminently readable biography of Luther deserves no less an adjective than ‘formidable.’ Eric Metaxas is to religious biographers what Pixar is to cartoons.” —Peter Kreeft, author of Catholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn from Each Other? “If you wish to know why Martin Luther is remembered as one of the most consequential figures in history, and why Eric Metaxas has emerged as one of the most prominent storytellers of our generation, you’ll find the answers in this book. Eric’s skill as a writer and biographer are on full display here, even as he corrects the myths and secures the history of a monk who changed the world.” —John Stonestreet, president of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. “A biography designed to peel back the myths and reveal Luther as the fascinating and influential man he was . the author’s fast-paced style and attention to interesting details sets this 450-page book apart.” —Institute for Faith, Work & Economics “Turns some centuries-long legends upside down.” —The Blaze “A masterful portrait of a seminal figure.” — Booklist (starred review) “A meaty autobiography of the Reformation leader. Bold, fast-paced, and magisterial like its hero, yet always stylish and witty like its author, this account blows the cobwebs off long-settled expectations, and helps us to understand the man who shook the medieval world and helped to shape the modern world.” —Os Guinness, author of Impossible People “When Martin Luther made it possible to read the Bible for yourself, he did more than anyone else to create the future. Read this book for yourself to understand the story we’re all still living through.” —Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal, entrepreneur, and author of Zero to One “Eric Metaxas has blessed us with yet another indispensable biography. With his customary verve and elegance, profound reverence, and biting wit, Metaxas’s Martin Luther is an education in the meaning of man’s relation to God. Gerald L. Schroeder, lecturer and teacher at College of Jewish Studies Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Seminar “This massive but eminently readable biography of Luther deserves no less an adjective than ‘formidable.’ Eric Metaxas is to religious biographers what Pixar is to cartoons.” —Peter Kreeft, author of Catholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn from Each Other? A tour de force.” —Johnnie Moore, Jr., founder of The Kairos Company “If you wish to know why Martin Luther is remembered as one of the most consequential figures in history, and why Eric Metaxas has emerged as one of the most prominent storytellers of our generation, you’ll find the answers in this book. Eric’s skill as a writer and biographer are on full display here, even as he corrects the myths and secures the history of a monk who changed the world.” —John Stonestreet, president of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He starts off perfectly, explaining how MLK, Jr. got his name, which basically leaves no doubt -- this is important to all of us. Not to ruin the surprise, but key information literally "unearthed" in 2008. So yes, Metaxas adds new information to a well told 500 year old story, and it is really worth examining. But here's the best part about Metaxas' biography -- he makes sure God gets the glory. Metaxas pulls out the pieces of Luther's life that show how God was always part of the story. I heard that earnest but lighthearted Metaxas voice delivering several lines, and it struck me as very humorous."
"For most of my life I worked in the Printing profession so I was glad to see the Eric gave the invention of the printing press it's proper due in why Martin Luther's reforms work where other before him fell short. I personally rank him 2nd to Johann Gutenburg who moveable type combined with the Printing Press was the Reformation and the biggest event of the last millennium. The fact that this Monk could not be killed like nearly everyone else who dare question Catholic dogma of the time is in fact a GREAT story!"
"I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in church history and those of you that don’t really know how Martin changed the world."
Best 19th Century World History

From the New York Times bestselling author and master of martial fiction comes the definitive, illustrated history of one of the greatest battles ever fought—a riveting nonfiction chronicle published to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s last stand. In his first work of nonfiction, Bernard Cornwell combines his storytelling skills with a meticulously researched history to give a riveting chronicle of every dramatic moment, from Napoleon’s daring escape from Elba to the smoke and gore of the three battlefields and their aftermath. With historical accounts like this, who needs novels for excitement?” ( Wall Street Journal ). “Waterloo may be a well-mined topic, but this new presentation is bound to satisfy lovers of military history…. “Bernard Cornwell proceeds at a brisk canter and his descriptions of the fighting are as gripping as any in his splendid Sharpe novels.” ( The Times (London)). “Brings a shrewd military historian’s mind to his subject…thrilling to read…Cornwell’s is from start to finish a gripping account, red in tooth and claw. “As you would expect from a writer who is the acknowledged expert on the Napoleonic Wars he is superb on the tiny details as well as on the bigger picture.” ( Daily Express (London)). “Cornwell has found deserved popularity with his Sharpe series of historically accurate novels set in the Napoleonic Wars. In his first work of nonfiction, Bernard Cornwell combines his storytelling skills with a meticulously researched history to give a riveting chronicle of every dramatic moment—from Napoleon’s daring escape from Elba to the smoke and gore of the three battlefields and their aftermath. Cornwell brings to life how it actually felt to fight those famous battles—as well as the moments of amazing bravery on both sides that left the outcome hanging in the balance until the bitter end.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Cornwell does a great job of not only setting the strategic and operational stage, helping us understand Wellington, Blucher, and Napoleon, but also weaving in personal anecdotes of the soldiers who fought and died on the battlefield. In this Cornwell was able to rely on the original work of historians - Cornwell's strength in this book is not original research, there's nothing new historically, but what makes his book worth reading is the way he painlessly tells the tale in a very understandable manner. If you're familiar with some of the post-war finger-pointing among the allies you'll understand, after reading the book, Cornwell's conclusion that, "The battle of Waterloo was an allied victory."
"very readable account of the battle (including key events before and after). Author gives one a very good understanding of the high level strategy of the battle as well as a good understanding of the experience of soldiers involved in the battle and the weapons and tactics of the Napoleonic era.. Great use of quotes from journals and other accounts of the battles written by participants in the conflict."
"Cornwell does have a funny way of mixing past tense and present tense without any clear strategy for doing so, and he does repeat himself, but I liked his doing the latter because it kept everything straight in my mind, so I didn't have to look back in the text to reassure myself that I knew which flank we were talking about or correctly recalled some other important detail that might have got lost in the fog of the battle in my mind. So from the book I got a big picture view of the battlefield, the tactics of each side, how the columns and lines were formed and how they fought, what it felt like and looked like on the field, and the critical moments when the battle could have turned or did turn.... And also important: The account was balanced; there was none of the usual prejudice in books by many writers, even biographers, and especially British ones, against Napoleon."
"The Duke of Wellington made three winning moves: he chose the right ground to defend, he never showed fear to his men even in the face of what looked like certain defeat, and he never lost trust in his ally Blucher the head of the Prussian army. We say that the Duke of Wellington won the Battle of Waterloo, but really Blucher and the Prussians won that battle as much or more than the British."
Best 20th Century World History

A definitive account of World War II by America's preeminent military historian World War II was the most lethal conflict in human history. A Kirkus Best Book of 2017 " The Second World Wars by Victor Davis Hanson is breathtakingly magisterial: How can Mr. Hanson make so much we thought we knew so fresh and original?" "[Hanson's] organizational approach allows him to isolate and highlight observations that may surprise even some well-read WWII enthusiasts. "Dr. Hanson has written another well-researched and fascinating book.... [He] does an excellent job of placing World War II in the historical context of global conflict. "[Hanson's] unusual approach yields new insights about long-familiar events, making his experiments ingenious and successful.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Rather than revealing his richest insights--a nasty trait in reviews--I suggest that readers, no matter how busy or distracted by daily life, make time for this book: It's underlying themes are even bigger than the declared subject."
"Taking a globalist perspective , similar to Weinberg but at half the length, Mr Hanson uses a unique approach. The analysis concentrates on fundamentals of production ,logistics, time and distance while spending almost no space on battlefield sketches of individual actions."
"This paradox is fully explored in this magnificent work, beautifully written and massively researched, it is bound to be a standard in the field of strategic studies of the war. As Hansen makes clear in depth, the war as won largely as a result of allied dominance on the seas and in the air. And yet that would have been impossible without the many "second fronts" such as North Africa, Italy, the strategic bombing campaign, Normandy as well as massive material aid."
"Exceeded my expectations."
"It's VDH."
"Great history-well researched, excellent insights, many useful statistics, good balance between Axis and Allies, excellent parallels to previous history and wars."
"A great book."
"amazing book by an amazing author."
Best 21st Century World History

His fellow American warriors, whom he protected with deadly precision from rooftops and stealth positions during the Iraq War, called him “The Legend”; meanwhile, the enemy feared him so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. American Sniper is a compelling read.” (CLINT EASTWOOD). “An amazingly detailed account of fighting in Iraq--a humanizing, brave story that’s extremely readable.” (PATRICIA CORNWELL, New York Times Book Review ). A brave warrior and patriot, Chris Kyle writes frankly about the missions, personal challenges, and hard choices that are part of daily life of an elite SEAL Sniper. His fellow American warriors, whom he protected with deadly precision from rooftops and stealth positions during the Iraq War, called him “The Legend”; meanwhile, the enemy feared him so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle, who was tragically killed in 2013, writes honestly about the pain of war—including the deaths of two close SEAL teammates—and in moving first-person passages throughout, his wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their family, as well as on Chris.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Most of the low rated reviews were from folks posting negative comments that had not even read the book. I made a point to bring this to the attention of potential buyers of Chris's book so they wouldn't let the low ratings affect their decision to read, what I think is a very good story. I think Chris, with help of course, did a pretty darn good job describing his experiences. This book is written in what I would call a sort of "conversational style". I liked his sense of humor (I caught myself laughing out loud at times). It's interesting to read about what sort of equipment someone needs to survive in that kind of environment. It's easy to sit in a nice comfortable home, and second guess him but the bottom line is that I am quite sure the men that served next to him were glad he was there."
"I enjoy books written by the person the story is about and aren't a typical autobiography."
"The author was a great asset to this country, but I think he was a much better sniper than he was a writer, and probably his next books would have changed for the better, but he suffered a lethal attack from a troubled, ungrateful individual he was trying to be nice to, and his life was cut short for his efforts."
"Good story, Im very impressed with Chris Kyle and although I was not a Navy Seal, I did 22 and half years in the Navy and I can understand a lot of his thought process and I totally understand the greater side of this story and that's the emotional side dealing with being away from the job and having a loving family."
"This is an excellent book, but certainly not for the style, which is elementary at best and could probably have used more editing."