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History

The past comes alive through the pivotal moments, groundbreaking ideas, and remarkable individuals that have shaped our world. Here you'll find compelling accounts of everything from ancient philosophy to modern economics, from social movements to technological transformation, all carefully examined through the lens of time.

History Book Summaries

Essential Confucius Summary
Essential Confucius
by Thomas Cleary 2000 179 pages
3.82
100+ ratings
Philosophy
Religion
History
Sex at Dawn Summary
Sex at Dawn
The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
by Christopher Ryan 2010 416 pages
3.98
30k+ ratings
Science
History
Sexuality
Crisis Economics Summary
Crisis Economics
A Crash Course in the Future of Finance
by Nouriel Roubini 2010 368 pages
3.84
2k+ ratings
Economics
Finance
Business
Long Walk to Freedom Summary
Long Walk to Freedom
The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
by Nelson Mandela 1994 558 pages
4.35
87k+ ratings
Biography
History
Africa
Team of Rivals Summary
Team of Rivals
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin 2005 916 pages
4.28
100k+ ratings
History
Biography
Politics
Technopoly Summary
Technopoly
The Surrender of Culture to Technology
by Neil Postman 1993 240 pages
3.94
4k+ ratings
Technology
Philosophy
Sociology
Keynes Summary
Keynes
The Return of the Master
by Robert Skidelsky 2010 256 pages
3.78
1k+ ratings
Economics
History
Biography
The Greatest Trade Ever Summary
The Greatest Trade Ever
The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History
by Gregory Zuckerman 2010 320 pages
4.07
7k+ ratings
Finance
Business
Economics
Bonhoeffer Summary
Bonhoeffer
Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
by Eric Metaxas 2010 608 pages
4.22
75k+ ratings
Biography
History
Christian
After Capitalism (New Critical Theory) Summary
After Capitalism (New Critical Theory)
by David Schweickart 2002 224 pages
4.01
100+ ratings
Economics
Politics
Philosophy
23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism Summary
23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism
by Ha-Joon Chang 2010 304 pages
3.96
11k+ ratings
Economics
Politics
Business
The Book of Five Rings Summary
The Book of Five Rings
by Musashi Miyamoto 2004 112 pages
3.97
53k+ ratings
Philosophy
Classics
History
Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1 Summary
Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1
by Mark Twain 2010 736 pages
3.8
8k+ ratings
Biography
Autobiography
History
BAD IDEAS? Summary
BAD IDEAS?
AN ARRESTING HISTORY OF OUR INVENTIONS: HOW OUR FINEST INVENTIONS NEARLY FINISHED US OFF
by Robert Winston 2010 432 pages
3.57
100+ ratings
Science
History
Civilization Summary
Civilization
The West and the Rest
by Niall Ferguson 2012 464 pages
3.86
9k+ ratings
History
Politics
Economics
How to Live Summary
How to Live
Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer
by Sarah Bakewell 2010 400 pages
4.02
10k+ ratings
Philosophy
Biography
History
Reading Lolita in Tehran Summary
Reading Lolita in Tehran
A Memoir in Books
by Azar Nafisi 2003 384 pages
3.65
100k+ ratings
Memoir
Iran
Biography
You Are What You Speak Summary
You Are What You Speak
Grammar Grouches, Language Laws, and the Politics of Identity
by Robert Lane Greene 2011 336 pages
3.85
500+ ratings
Language
Linguistics
Politics
The Ghost Map Summary
The Ghost Map
by Steven Johnson 2008
3.89
53k+ ratings
History
Science
Medicine
The true believer Summary
The true believer
Thoughts on the nature of mass movements (Time reading program special edition)
by Eric Hoffer 1980 188 pages
4.21
10k+ ratings
Philosophy
Politics
Psychology
The Dictator's Handbook Summary
The Dictator's Handbook
Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita 2011 462 pages
4.26
10k+ ratings
Politics
History
Philosophy
Reinventing Discovery Summary
Reinventing Discovery
The New Era of Networked Science (Princeton Science Library, 91)
by Michael Nielsen 2011 272 pages
3.94
500+ ratings
Science
Technology
History
The Price of Civilization Summary
The Price of Civilization
Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity
by Jeffrey D. Sachs 2011 341 pages
3.83
2k+ ratings
Politics
Economics
History
At Home Summary
At Home
A Short History of Private Life
by Bill Bryson 2010 594 pages
3.99
94k+ ratings
History
Humor
Science
Money and Power Summary
Money and Power
How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World
by William D. Cohan 2011 672 pages
3.85
1k+ ratings
Business
Finance
History
Empire Summary
Empire
The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power
by Niall Ferguson 2008 398 pages
3.93
8k+ ratings
History
Politics
Economics
Debt Summary
Debt
by David Graeber 2011 534 pages
4.21
22k+ ratings
History
Economics
Anthropology
The Dirt On Clean Summary
The Dirt On Clean
by Katherine Ashenburg 2010 384 pages
3.71
2k+ ratings
History
Science
Microhistory
Fast Food Nation Summary
Fast Food Nation
by Eric Schlosser 2002 400 pages
3.75
200k+ ratings
Food
Sociology
Politics
The Master and His Emissary Summary
The Master and His Emissary
The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World
by Iain McGilchrist 2010 544 pages
4.35
3k+ ratings
Psychology
Science
Philosophy
The New Jim Crow Summary
The New Jim Crow
Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander 2010 290 pages
4.52
100k+ ratings
History
Race
Politics
A Short History of Nearly Everything Summary
A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson 2003 560 pages
4.22
300k+ ratings
Science
History
Humor
Tried by War Summary
Tried by War
Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
by James M. McPherson 2008 384 pages
4.09
5k+ ratings
History
Civil War
Biography
The Bottom Billion Summary
The Bottom Billion
Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done about It
by Paul Collier 2008 224 pages
3.86
7k+ ratings
Economics
Politics
International Development
An Autobiography Summary
An Autobiography
by Agatha Christie 2010 587 pages
4.11
11k+ ratings
Biography
Autobiography
Memoir
Transgender History Summary
Transgender History
by Susan Stryker 2009 208 pages
4.21
4k+ ratings
History
Queer
LGBT
The Great Reset Summary
The Great Reset
How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity
by Richard Florida 2010 239 pages
3.59
500+ ratings
Economics
Business
Politics
The Warrior Ethos Summary
The Warrior Ethos
by Steven Pressfield 2011 112 pages
4.07
4k+ ratings
Military Fiction
Philosophy
History
Success Secrets of Sherlock Holmes Summary
Success Secrets of Sherlock Holmes
Life Lessons from the Master Detective
by David Acord 2011 212 pages
3.58
100+ ratings
Mystery
Self Help
History
Brand Failures Summary
Brand Failures
The Truth About the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time
by Matt Haig 2011 256 pages
3.58
500+ ratings
Business
Economics
Management
The End of the World As We Know It Summary
The End of the World As We Know It
Social Science for the Twenty-First Century
by Immanuel Wallerstein 2001 288 pages
4.06
100+ ratings
Sociology
Philosophy
History
The Post-American World Summary
The Post-American World
Release 2.0
by Fareed Zakaria 2011 336 pages
3.86
12k+ ratings
Politics
History
Economics
Treasure Islands Summary
Treasure Islands
Uncovering the Damage of Offshore Banking and Tax Havens
by Nicholas Shaxson 2011 272 pages
4.19
1k+ ratings
Economics
Finance
Politics
Why We Believe in God(s) Summary
Why We Believe in God(s)
A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith
by J. Anderson Thomson 2011 144 pages
3.95
1k+ ratings
Religion
Science
Psychology
Obama Summary
Obama
by David Mendell 2007 448 pages
4.17
2k+ ratings
Biography
Politics
History
The Art of Action Summary
The Art of Action
How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions, and Results
by Stephen Bungay 2010 304 pages
4.32
1k+ ratings
Business
Leadership
Management
The Audacity of Hope Summary
The Audacity of Hope
Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama 2006 384 pages
3.83
100k+ ratings
Politics
Biography
Memoir
Kurt Vonnegut Summary
Kurt Vonnegut
Letters
by Kurt Vonnegut 2012 464 pages
4.09
1k+ ratings
Biography
Memoir
Essays
The Storytelling Animal Summary
The Storytelling Animal
How Stories Make Us Human
by Jonathan Gottschall 2012 248 pages
3.7
6k+ ratings
Psychology
Writing
Science
Free to Choose Summary
Free to Choose
A Personal Statement
by Milton Friedman 1990 338 pages
4.22
8k+ ratings
Economics
Politics
Philosophy
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