History book recommendations
Aug 27, 2005 at 9:48 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 7
ls20

ls20

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ive been on a reading and history binge, and id like to get some books covering these subjects.. naturally, i could just go to the uni library and browse them all, but id much rather be reading my very own copy and figure some of you have been through good ones relating to:

-the Habsburgs (of Austria)
-Ottoman empire
-Dutch colonization
-general Islam history in Middle East (would like something non-biased here)
-(p.s.) the Crusades


also, i'd like to have fun steamrolling through 'em, so nothing too encyclopedic or textbook-like
 
Aug 28, 2005 at 1:54 AM Post #3 of 7
On Dutch colonialism "Island At The Center Of The World" is an excellent book on NYC when it was run by the Dutch.

A little US History: "1776" was a great read that gives you a lot of insight into how hard Washington and the Americans had it during the beginning of the revolutionary war.
 
Aug 28, 2005 at 4:59 PM Post #4 of 7
Check out, J. J. Saunders, A History of Medieval Islam.

I used this book for my intro to Islam Civilization class back in my undergrad days. It's a great introductory book to Islamic history from the inception in circa 600 AD up till the 1300s. The book is a pleasant read - informative and academic, yet not dry and boring.

I find the author to be quite neutral (though clearly an academic who loves his chosen field).

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books
 
Aug 28, 2005 at 6:38 PM Post #5 of 7
Quote:

Originally Posted by ls20
-general Islam history in Middle East (would like something non-biased here)


I really like "All the Shaw's men" by Stephen Kinzer. It's neither "general" nor "islam"
rolleyes.gif
, but very informative and enjoyable read on Iran, focusing on the CIA coup in 1953.
 
Aug 28, 2005 at 6:49 PM Post #6 of 7
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