Browsing: History

This winner of the 2016 Royal Society Science Book Prize traces the life of German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, a man who influenced Darwin, Thoreau, and other figures — and revolutionized our ideas about the world. “Beautifully researched… A thrilling intellectual odyssey” (The Sunday Times).

A “riveting” account (The Wall Street Journal) of the Jazz Age showdown between Harry Houdini and a purported psychic that became a focal point in the national debate over Spiritualism. “Beautifully written, deeply researched, and delightfully mysterious” (Pulitzer Prize–winning author Debby Applegate).

This true account from a New York Times bestselling author tells the story of two US Navy aviators who flew side by side into battle during the Korean War. “This is aerial drama at its best — fast, powerful, and moving” (#1 New York Times bestselling author Erik Larson).

“Littered with amazing facts” (Time): The New York Times bestselling author of Salt tells the story of another ubiquitous human commodity in this illuminating read. “Curious, vital, prolific, and witty… Kurlansky’s work makes brilliant use of paper as a key to civilization” (Booklist).

This New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner from the author of Alexander Hamilton provides a groundbreaking look at the life of George Washington. “Truly magnificent… Well-researched, well-written, and absolutely definitive” (The Washington Post).

A #1 New York Times bestseller that inspired the hit Broadway musical: This “elegantly written, richly detailed account of Hamilton’s tempestuous life” (The Times) delves into the world of one of America’s most fascinating founding fathers. “Nobody has captured Hamilton better” (The New York Times Book Review).

With nearly 1,100 five-star Goodreads ratings: Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley both defied tradition and influenced literary and feminist history. Their lives are “explored with remarkable insight… in this exhilarating dual biography” (Publishers Weekly).

A young widow with a family to support finds a bachelor in need of a wife — but their business arrangement soon turns into so much more… A mail-order bride story with over 600 five-star ratings on Goodreads!

From one of the world’s most beloved writers and “New York Times” bestselling author of “One Summer,” a vivid, nostalgic,…

One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey — into the most intriguing and intractable…