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Historical

Real people and pivotal moments come alive through meticulous research and compelling storytelling in these journeys through time. Whether following spies during the American Revolution or exploring the hidden lives of remarkable women, these books illuminate the fascinating truths and untold stories that shaped our world.

Historical Book Summaries

Alexander Hamilton Summary
Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow 2004 818 pages
4.22
192.4K ratings
History
Biography
American History
A Tale of Two Cities Summary
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens 1859 489 pages
3.87
990.1K ratings
Historical Fiction
Literature
Historical
The Name of the Rose Summary
The Name of the Rose
by Umberto Eco 1980 552 pages
4.14
383.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
Mystery
Classics
Gone with the Wind Summary
Gone with the Wind
by Margaret Mitchell 1936 1037 pages
4.31
1.3M ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
Romance
The Shadow of the Wind Summary
The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 2001 487 pages
4.30
687.5K ratings
Historical Fiction
Mystery
Fantasy
Journey to the River Sea Summary
Journey to the River Sea
by Eva Ibbotson 2001 304 pages
4.20
17.0K ratings
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Adventure
Cryptonomicon Summary
Cryptonomicon
by Neal Stephenson 1999 1152 pages
4.23
115.2K ratings
Science Fiction
Historical Fiction
Cyberpunk
Pompeii Summary
Pompeii
by Robert Harris 2003 274 pages
3.87
50.5K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Italy
The Poisonwood Bible Summary
The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver 1998 546 pages
4.11
773.5K ratings
Historical Fiction
Africa
Book Club
England's Mistress Summary
England's Mistress
The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton
by Kate Williams 2005 415 pages
3.89
1.0K ratings
History
Biography
Historical
Early Modern Europe, 1450–1789 Summary
Early Modern Europe, 1450–1789
by Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks 2006 510 pages
3.95
427 ratings
History
European History
Academic
A History of the World in 6 Glasses Summary
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
by Tom Standage 2005 336 pages
3.81
32.3K ratings
History
Food
Book Club
Lilac Girls Summary
Lilac Girls
by Martha Hall Kelly 2016 487 pages
4.29
327.2K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
World War II
Before We Were Yours Summary
Before We Were Yours
by Lisa Wingate 2017 342 pages
4.40
683.0K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
The Situation Room Summary
The Situation Room
The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
by George Stephanopoulos 2024 368 pages
4.36
9.0K ratings
History
Politics
American History
Shōgun Summary
Shōgun
by James Clavell 1975 1152 pages
4.41
203.2K ratings
Historical Fiction
Japan
Historical
Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge Summary
Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge
George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition
by Erica Armstrong Dunbar 2019 272 pages
3.97
1.5K ratings
Biography
History
Middle Grade
The Terror Summary
The Terror
by Dan Simmons 2007 769 pages
4.09
69.4K ratings
Horror
Historical Fiction
Fantasy
The Girl You Left Behind Summary
The Girl You Left Behind
by Jojo Moyes 2012 480 pages
4.03
175.0K ratings
Historical Fiction
Romance
Historical
Life After Life Summary
Life After Life
by Kate Atkinson 2013 544 pages
3.78
236.5K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Fantasy
The Shortest History of China Summary
The Shortest History of China
by Linda Jaivin 2021 263 pages
3.98
2.4K ratings
History
China
Asia
Warriors Don't Cry Summary
Warriors Don't Cry
A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High
by Melba Pattillo Beals 1994 312 pages
4.18
16.1K ratings
History
Memoir
School
Samarkand Summary
Samarkand
by Amin Maalouf 1988 304 pages
4.24
30.3K ratings
Historical Fiction
Novels
Literature
The Missing Sister Summary
The Missing Sister
by Lucinda Riley 2021 805 pages
4.20
77.9K ratings
Historical Fiction
Romance
Roman
North and South Summary
North and South
by Elizabeth Gaskell 1855 521 pages
4.15
178.1K ratings
Romance
Historical Fiction
Classics
A Peace to End All Peace Summary
A Peace to End All Peace
The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and The Creation of the Modern Middle East
by David Fromkin 1989 635 pages
4.22
9.4K ratings
Politics
War
World History
We Were the Lucky Ones Summary
We Were the Lucky Ones
by Georgia Hunter 2017 403 pages
4.42
184.9K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
World War II
The Color Purple Summary
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker 1982 295 pages
4.27
729.9K ratings
Historical Fiction
Feminism
LGBT
Lessons in Chemistry Summary
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus 2022 390 pages
4.28
1.6M ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Feminism
The Phoenix Crown Summary
The Phoenix Crown
by Kate Quinn 2024 384 pages
3.84
36.6K ratings
Historical Fiction
Mystery
Historical
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? Summary
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
by Crystal Smith Paul 2023 416 pages
3.74
68.5K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
The Kite Runner Summary
The Kite Runner
Graphic Novel
by Khaled Hosseini 2011 132 pages
4.45
23.1K ratings
Graphic Novels
Historical Fiction
Comics
Heaven Official's Blessing Summary
Heaven Official's Blessing
Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 3
by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù 2017 466 pages
4.68
23.2K ratings
Fantasy
Romance
LGBT
Human Acts Summary
Human Acts
by Han Kang 2014 218 pages
4.26
55.7K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Literary Fiction
Code Name Verity Summary
Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein 2012 452 pages
4.00
124.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Historical
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi Summary
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
by Shannon Chakraborty 2023 483 pages
4.26
68.5K ratings
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Pirates
Khomeinism Summary
Khomeinism
Essays on the Islamic Republic
by Ervand Abrahamian 1993 200 pages
3.85
161 ratings
Iran
History
Politics
Case Study Summary
Case Study
by Graeme Macrae Burnet 2021 278 pages
3.58
10.6K ratings
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
Psychology
The Man in the Iron Mask Summary
The Man in the Iron Mask
by Alexandre Dumas 1847 470 pages
3.99
66.4K ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
Adventure
The Pillars of the Earth Summary
The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett 1989 976 pages
4.35
802.1K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Fantasy
Forgiveness Summary
Forgiveness
by Mark Sakamoto 2014 272 pages
4.00
4.4K ratings
Memoir
Canada
Book Club
This Tender Land Summary
This Tender Land
by William Kent Krueger 2019 450 pages
4.39
205.5K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
بیست و سه سال Summary
بیست و سه سال
۲۳ سال
by Ali Dashti 1973 400 pages
4.01
1.0K ratings
Religion
History
Islam
Viking Age Iceland Summary
Viking Age Iceland
by Jesse L. Byock 2001 448 pages
4.09
656 ratings
History
Medieval
Historical
Hang the Moon Summary
Hang the Moon
by Jeannette Walls 2023 368 pages
3.82
79.3K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
Out of Darkness Summary
Out of Darkness
by Ashley Hope Pérez 2016 402 pages
4.14
8.4K ratings
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Banned Books
The Book Woman's Daughter Summary
The Book Woman's Daughter
by Kim Michele Richardson 2022 336 pages
4.23
79.0K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Book Club
A New History of Western Philosophy Summary
A New History of Western Philosophy
by Anthony Kenny 2007 1058 pages
4.22
482 ratings
Philosophy
History
Textbooks
The Witch Haven Summary
The Witch Haven
by Sasha Peyton Smith 2021 442 pages
3.62
12.9K ratings
Fantasy
Young Adult
Witches
Wuthering Heights Summary
Wuthering Heights
by Emily Brontë 1847 464 pages
3.90
1.9M ratings
Gothic
Historical Fiction
Literature
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