Best Alt. History / Military Books?

Narz

A guy I know on another forum is asking me what books I'd recommend. I told him I've heard (haven't read it) that "The People's History of the US" is good. Any other ideas? Thanks!

Carlhole · Knight of the Realm Joined: Jul 05, 2004 Posts: 3137

I've read "A People's History..." . It's good. It's simply a history of the US from the standpoint of all the people's that the nation rolled over to get where it is - Indians, Negroes,...etc. History without pride.

I would recommend "A History of the Modern Middle East" by William Cleveland. Excellent.

I just finished "A History of the Modern World" by Robert Palmer. A classic broad historical overview.

"The True Story of Captain Kidd", I must say, was amusing, well-researched and a damn shame. Loved it.

"The History of God: The 4,000 Year Qest, of Judaism, Christianity and Islam" by Karen Armstrong. Bet you didn't know that religion evolves, too.

"In The Age of Spiritual Machines" by Ray Kurzweil. Gets alot of crap on the PO boards but I thought it was a mind-blower.

"The Vietnam Wars: 1945 - 1990" by Marilyn B. Young.

"Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II" by William Blum.
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Loki · Expert Joined: Apr 08, 2006 Posts: 1099 Location: Cascadia

For the history of US foreign policy, anything by William Appleman Williams or Walter LaFeber is worth reading. For a multicultural overview of US history, Ronald Takaki's A Different Mirror is good stuff. I'm also partial to geographer Donald Meinig. He wrote a massive 4-volume historical geography of the US that's very highly considered. I also highly recommend Patty Limerick's Legacy of Conquest---a very well written essay on the history of the American West. I read Zinn's book some years ago---I remember it being quite readable, but pretty ideologically driven (i.e., quite selective in the facts he chose to present).

There are tons of history books out there---what exactly are you looking for? I have lots of suggestions for environmental history, Western history, and American Indian history if that kind of stuff floats your boat.

Narz

Thanks all. Loki, I will ask for more specifics.
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EnergyHog · Heavy Crude Joined: Mar 27, 2006 Posts: 215

American Theocracy.
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mrflora · Heavy Crude Joined: Apr 12, 2005 Posts: 115

_The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers 1500-2000_ by Paul Kennedy.

If he's looking for Alternate History stories,
http://changingthetimes.net

Regards,
M.R.F.
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btw, if you go to google books and type "military history" you will get page after page of linked books which are available to read free online in their entirety. Same thing for "historical geography" or all kinds of subjects. I would think for those of you into planning to survive a collapse of civilization you might want to look up this kind of stuff:

Industrial History of the United States: From the Earliest Settlements to the Present Time: Being... - Page xiii
by Albert Sidney Bolles - 1878 - 936 pages
It is true that a history of agriculture is free from those startling sensations
which spring from the vivid description of battles and other operations of ...

note the publication date. that means that you will get valuable information written from the perspective of a much less complex civilization.

Loki · Expert Joined: Apr 08, 2006 Posts: 1099 Location: Cascadia