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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

Human Instinct Summary
Human Instinct
How our primeval impulses shape our modern lives
by Robert Winston 2002 352 pages
4.00
456 ratings
Science
Psychology
Evolution
The Great Alone Summary
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah 2018 435 pages
4.45
1.0M ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Romance
Sense and Sensibility Summary
Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen 1811 409 pages
4.09
1.3M ratings
Classics
Romance
Historical Fiction
Dead Wake Summary
Dead Wake
The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
by Erik Larson 2015 430 pages
4.13
155.4K ratings
History
Book Club
Historical
The Last Jew Summary
The Last Jew
by Noah Gordon 1999 348 pages
4.16
10.3K ratings
Historical Fiction
Spain
Historical
Rules of Civility Summary
Rules of Civility
by Amor Towles 2011 335 pages
4.09
258.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
A History of the World in 21 Women Summary
A History of the World in 21 Women
A Personal Selection
by Jenni Murray 2018 304 pages
3.83
3.4K ratings
History
Feminism
Biography
Gaza in Crisis Summary
Gaza in Crisis
Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians
by Noam Chomsky 2010 240 pages
4.14
2.0K ratings
Politics
History
War
The Island of Sea Women Summary
The Island of Sea Women
by Lisa See 2019 374 pages
4.32
148.6K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
Lies My Teacher Told Me Summary
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
by James W. Loewen 1995 383 pages
3.97
72.0K ratings
History
Education
Politics
The Persian Boy Summary
The Persian Boy
by Mary Renault 1972 420 pages
4.18
10.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
LGBT
Killing the Witches Summary
Killing the Witches
The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts
by Bill O'Reilly 2023 291 pages
3.64
14.2K ratings
History
Historical
Witches
The Three Musketeers Summary
The Three Musketeers
by Alexandre Dumas 1844 431 pages
4.10
338.2K ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
Adventure
The Bomber Mafia Summary
The Bomber Mafia
A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
by Malcolm Gladwell 2021 256 pages
4.03
60.3K ratings
History
War
World War II
Junie Summary
Junie
by Erin Crosby Eckstine 2025 368 pages
4.22
6.1K ratings
Historical Fiction
Fantasy
Magical Realism
The Light Between Oceans Summary
The Light Between Oceans
by M.L. Stedman 2012 362 pages
4.04
470.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
The Scarlet Letter Summary
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne 1850 279 pages
3.44
896.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
School
Literature
The Familiar Summary
The Familiar
by Leigh Bardugo 2024 387 pages
3.76
107.6K ratings
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Historical
An Era of Darkness Summary
An Era of Darkness
The British Empire in India
by Shashi Tharoor 2016 360 pages
4.17
12.2K ratings
History
India
Politics
Horse Summary
Horse
by Geraldine Brooks 2022 401 pages
4.26
181.0K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
To Sir Phillip, With Love Summary
To Sir Phillip, With Love
by Julia Quinn 2003 372 pages
3.70
280.7K ratings
Romance
Historical Romance
Historical
Winter of the World Summary
Winter of the World
by Ken Follett 2012 940 pages
4.38
171.3K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
War
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
Warsaw Boy Summary
Warsaw Boy
A Memoir of a Wartime Childhood
by Andrew Borowiec 2014 377 pages
4.08
174 ratings
History
Biography
World War II
Persuasion Summary
Persuasion
by Jane Austen 1817 249 pages
4.15
744.6K ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
Historical
The Lost Year Summary
The Lost Year
by Katherine Marsh 2023 368 pages
4.47
4.5K ratings
Historical Fiction
Middle Grade
Historical
The Red Umbrella Summary
The Red Umbrella
by Christina Diaz Gonzalez 2010 284 pages
4.06
4.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Historical
An Offer From a Gentleman Summary
An Offer From a Gentleman
by Julia Quinn 2001 390 pages
3.94
379.2K ratings
Romance
Historical Romance
Historical Fiction
Anatomy Summary
Anatomy
A Love Story
by Dana Schwartz 2022 338 pages
3.84
99.3K ratings
Historical Fiction
Romance
Young Adult
Mapping the Bones Summary
Mapping the Bones
by Jane Yolen 2018 421 pages
4.01
2.1K ratings
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Historical
The Remains of the Day Summary
The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro 1989 258 pages
4.14
337.3K ratings
Historical Fiction
Classics
Literary Fiction
City of Girls Summary
City of Girls
by Elizabeth Gilbert 2019 470 pages
4.04
309.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
Cilka's Journey Summary
Cilka's Journey
by Heather Morris 2019 352 pages
4.40
204.6K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
World War II
Lincoln in the Bardo Summary
Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders 2017 368 pages
3.75
167.8K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Fantasy
Persians Summary
Persians
The Age of the Great Kings
by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones 2022 448 pages
4.06
1.5K ratings
History
Ancient History
Iran
The White Queen Summary
The White Queen
by Philippa Gregory 2009 415 pages
3.96
179.9K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Romance
Bad Mexicans Summary
Bad Mexicans
Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands
by Kelly Lytle Hernández 2022 372 pages
4.19
2.1K ratings
History
Politics
Race
The Scarlet Pimpernel Summary
The Scarlet Pimpernel
by Emmuska Orczy 1905 182 pages
4.07
139.4K ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
Adventure
The Prestige Summary
The Prestige
by Christopher Priest 1995 404 pages
3.92
23.8K ratings
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Science Fiction
King Rat Summary
King Rat
by James Clavell 1962 368 pages
4.19
43.0K ratings
Historical Fiction
War
Classics
Salt Summary
Salt
A World History
by Mark Kurlansky 2002 484 pages
3.75
74.5K ratings
History
Food
Science
The Maniac Summary
The Maniac
by Benjamín Labatut 2023 368 pages
4.34
20.7K ratings
Historical Fiction
Philosophy
Literary Fiction
Birdsong Summary
Birdsong
by Sebastian Faulks 1993 483 pages
4.11
82.2K ratings
Historical Fiction
War
Classics
Half Broke Horses Summary
Half Broke Horses
by Jeannette Walls 2009 272 pages
4.09
170.0K ratings
Memoir
Book Club
Biography
The Diamond Eye Summary
The Diamond Eye
by Kate Quinn 2022 435 pages
4.29
177.4K ratings
Historical Fiction
Book Club
Historical
George Washington's Secret Six Summary
George Washington's Secret Six
The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution
by Brian Kilmeade 2013 235 pages
3.85
20.4K ratings
History
American History
American Revolution
A Column of Fire Summary
A Column of Fire
by Ken Follett 2017 916 pages
4.26
119.1K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Fantasy
Age of Revolutions Summary
Age of Revolutions
Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present
by Fareed Zakaria 2024 400 pages
4.20
3.5K ratings
History
Politics
World History
The First Muslim Summary
The First Muslim
The Story of Muhammad
by Lesley Hazleton 2013 320 pages
3.99
4.8K ratings
Religion
History
Islam
Fall of Giants Summary
Fall of Giants
by Ken Follett 2010 985 pages
4.32
338.3K ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
War
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