I loved a lot of the Antonia Fraser books, especially the one on Mary Queen of Scots. I have reserves the Romatic Outlaws book ( in my local bookshop in Oslo ) Hope the find it so I can pick it up tomorrow
Barbara Mertz is my favorite historical nonfiction author. She was an Egyptologist, and a novelist, and her nonfiction Egypt books are so entertaining to read.
I read Catherine the Great by Massie and loved it, so I will absolutely pick up Peter the Great based on this recommendation! The Gordon sounds amazing too. Great video, thank you!
I love this video... My wishlist just grew so much lol. Nonfiction was what I specialized in for grad school. Napoleon is a fascinating figure. I need this Mary Shelley book in my life. I have gone on a Mary Shelley journey this year, reading several of her books. I love her writing so so much. My favorite Non-fiction reads, biography style, that come to mind quickly are The Rival Queens by GJ Meyer (Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, plus others of course) and Grant by Ron Chernow.
What a fantastic video! I'm adding every book to my TBR (thanks for listing them in the description). I've read the JJN Byzantine trilogy and it was wonderful! Also Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra.
Historical nonfiction is one of my two favorite things I discovered on booktube! Before booktube I’d never thought to I could read historical nonfiction for fun... I was so wrong haha! I’m having so much fun reading it 😍 I’m currently rereading Cleopatra, so good!!!! ❤ Awesome list, I look forward to your classical recommendations
Now I need to get Washington's Spies! My favorites are My Thoughts Be Boody by Nora Titone (amazing biography of the entire Booth family...not just John Wilkes...not even primarily John Wilkes), Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (a journey to a bunch of locations linked to presidential assassinations and full of super interesting things about each that I did not know), Tinseltown by William Mann (the story of a murder during the early days of Hollywood. fascinating characters and relationships and you really feel you knew them all by the end), River of Doubt by Candace Millard (about the trip taken by Theodore Roosevelt and his son in South America. Full of action and interesting information about the expedition, Teddy & son, and so much more. Candace Millard is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine)
I don't cry in books, but I read Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters, and I cried reading the last letters that Cassandra wrote to the niece of her's and Jane's. Loved Hamilton biography. I listened to the audio book.
I too have a soft spot for the Revolution. My two favourite books on the Revolution are John Adams and 1776. I have never read Hamilton, I’ll have to pick it up. You chose some interesting books for your November tbr, will you be doing a video on these books when you’ve finished? (Hope so) I started Casanova’s autobiography on Audible, quite enjoyable. Thank you for sharing your love for books!😊
Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra is a classic although much research has been done about their death since this was it was published. I read it first when I was 12 and have read it often since!
I highly recommend RKM's "Dreadnought" on the naval origins of WWI; that description could make it sound narrowly focused and uninteresting, but I think any RKM fan could enjoy. And that leads me to recommending "A World Undone" by G . J. Meyer, a single volume WWI book. Folks into history would also do well to at least browse David Hackett Fischer's "Historians' Fallacies". I also really enjoyed The Works: Anatomy of a City by Kate Ascher. Like any nonfiction, it's a bit outdated, but definitely worth looking for.
My favorite historical non-fiction writer is Erik Larson, especially The Devil and the White City (about HH Holmes, the first known US serial killer and Burnham and Olmsted who designed the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago) and In the Garden of the Beasts (about William Dodd who was the American ambassador to Germany during the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich). Also The Splendid and the Vile about Churchill and the London Blitz is excellent.
I'm not an expert, but have you read Stefan Zweig's biography of Marie Antoinette? I really really loved it. (Haha I was finished typing when you mentioned it 😅)
