History

sci-fi history

A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson

All the Light We Cannot See

by Anthony Doerr

fiction history

Democracy in America

by Alexis de Tocqueville

Endurance

by Alfred Lansing

Guns, Germs, and Steel

by Jared Diamond

Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius

Sapiens

by Yuval Noah Harari

SPQR

by Mary Beard

The Emperor of All Maladies

by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Guns of August

by Barbara Tuchman

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

The Republic

by Plato

1776

by David McCullough

history memoir

A People's History of the United States

by Howard Zinn

Nicomachean Ethics

by Aristotle

On Liberty

by John Stuart Mill

Stiff

by Mary Roach

The Body

by Bill Bryson

The Federalist Papers

by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

The Gene

by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Origins of Political Order

by Francis Fukuyama

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli

The Problems of Philosophy

by Bertrand Russell

The Selfish Gene

by Richard Dawkins

The Silk Roads

by Peter Frankopan

The Sixth Extinction

by Elizabeth Kolbert

The Wright Brothers

by David McCullough

Why Nations Fail

by Daron Acemoglu, James Robinson

history business

A Brief History of Time

by Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking's landmark exploration of the universe's biggest questions — from the Big Bang to black holes, the nature of time, and the search for a unified theory of physics. Written for non-scientists, it became one of the bestselling science books of all time.

sci-fi history

A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson takes his ultimate journey — into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us.

All the Light We Cannot See

by Anthony Doerr

Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner, a German orphan boy, navigate the horrors of World War II in occupied France. Their paths eventually cross in the besieged city of Saint-Malo, where their fates become intertwined. A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the power of human connection amid devastation.

fiction history

Democracy in America

by Alexis de Tocqueville

A young French aristocrat travels to America in the 1830s and produces the most perceptive analysis of American democracy ever written. Tocqueville examines the strengths and dangers of democratic society, from the tyranny of the majority to the power of civil associations, with insights that remain startlingly relevant.

Endurance

by Alfred Lansing

Alfred Lansing recounts Sir Ernest Shackleton's legendary 1914 Antarctic expedition, where his ship Endurance was crushed by pack ice, stranding his crew on the frozen sea. What followed was one of the greatest survival stories in human history.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

by Jared Diamond

Jared Diamond argues that the gaps in power and technology between human societies originate in environmental differences, not in racial or cultural superiority. He traces how geography, agriculture, and animal domestication shaped the modern world.

Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius

The private journal of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, written during military campaigns, offering timeless Stoic wisdom on virtue, duty, mortality, and the nature of the universe. Gregory Hays's acclaimed translation brings fresh clarity to these two-thousand-year-old reflections.

Sapiens

by Yuval Noah Harari

Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical — and sometimes devastating — breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific Revolutions.

SPQR

by Mary Beard

Mary Beard's masterful account of Rome from its mythical founding through Caracalla's granting of citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire in 212 CE. Beard explores not just emperors and senators but the lives of ordinary Romans — slaves, women, freedmen, and provincial subjects.

The Emperor of All Maladies

by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Siddhartha Mukherjee crafts a sweeping "biography" of cancer, tracing the disease from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago to the cutting-edge research of today. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, it's a masterful blend of science, history, and human stories.

The Guns of August

by Barbara Tuchman

Barbara Tuchman's Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the first month of World War I, showing how a cascade of miscalculations, hubris, and rigid military planning turned a regional crisis into a global catastrophe. A masterclass in narrative history that reads like a tragedy.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

Rebecca Skloot tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 and became one of the most important tools in medicine. Known as HeLa cells, they helped develop the polio vaccine and countless other breakthroughs, yet Henrietta's family never knew.

The Republic

by Plato

Plato's most famous work, presented as a dialogue led by Socrates, exploring the nature of justice, the ideal state, and the role of the philosopher. Features the iconic Allegory of the Cave and a vision of a society governed by philosopher-kings.

1776

by David McCullough

David McCullough tells the gripping story of the year that decided America's fate, focusing on both George Washington and the British forces. Drawing on diaries, letters, and firsthand accounts, McCullough reveals just how close the revolution came to failing before it truly began.

history memoir

A People's History of the United States

by Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn's radical retelling of American history from the perspective of the people who are typically left out — Indigenous Americans, enslaved Africans, women, laborers, and immigrants. A provocative counter-narrative that challenges the traditional textbook version of the American story.

Nicomachean Ethics

by Aristotle

Aristotle's foundational work on ethics explores the concept of "eudaimonia" — human flourishing — and argues that the good life is achieved through the practice of virtue. Covering friendship, justice, pleasure, and the contemplative life, it remains one of the most influential works in moral philosophy.

On Liberty

by John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill's passionate defense of individual freedom against the tyranny of the majority. Mill argues that society should only restrict liberty to prevent harm to others, and makes an eloquent case for free speech, free thought, and the right to live as one chooses.

Stiff

by Mary Roach

Mary Roach explores the strange and fascinating afterlife of human bodies donated to science. From crash-test cadavers to body farms to head transplants, she investigates what happens to us after we die with her signature blend of humor and scientific rigor.

The Body

by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson takes readers on a head-to-toe tour of the human body, exploring how it works, what can go wrong, and the remarkable science behind our biology. With his trademark humor and curiosity, Bryson turns anatomy into an endlessly entertaining read.

The Federalist Papers

by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

The 85 essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to persuade New York voters to ratify the U.S. Constitution. A foundational document of American political thought that lays out the philosophical framework for federalism, separation of powers, and representative government.

The Gene

by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Siddhartha Mukherjee traces the history of the gene from Gregor Mendel's garden to the frontiers of CRISPR, weaving together science, history, and his own family's experience with genetic illness. It's a sweeping narrative about the code that makes us who we are.

The Origins of Political Order

by Francis Fukuyama

Fukuyama traces the development of political institutions — the state, rule of law, and accountable government — from prehuman times through the French Revolution. Drawing on examples from China, India, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe, he asks how societies evolve from bands of kinship to modern states.

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli

Machiavelli's infamous treatise on political power, written in 1513 as advice to Lorenzo de' Medici. Arguing that a ruler must be willing to act immorally when necessary, it shocked its contemporaries and has influenced political thinking ever since. Short, sharp, and ruthlessly pragmatic.

The Problems of Philosophy

by Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell's concise and accessible introduction to the central questions of philosophy: What can we know? Does the external world exist? What is the nature of truth? Written with remarkable clarity, it remains one of the best entry points into philosophical thinking.

The Selfish Gene

by Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins' landmark work presents a gene-centered view of evolution, arguing that organisms are mere "survival machines" built by their genes. The book introduced the concept of the "meme" and revolutionized how we think about natural selection.

The Silk Roads

by Peter Frankopan

Peter Frankopan recenters world history around the ancient trade routes of Central Asia, showing how the Silk Roads — not Europe — were the true axis of civilization. From the rise of Persia and the spread of religion to the scramble for oil, Frankopan reveals a history that's far richer than the Western-centric version.

The Sixth Extinction

by Elizabeth Kolbert

Elizabeth Kolbert investigates the current mass extinction event caused by human activity, traveling to rainforests, coral reefs, and research stations around the world. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, it's a gripping and sobering look at the species we're losing and why.

The Wright Brothers

by David McCullough

David McCullough tells the dramatic story of Wilbur and Orville Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio who taught the world to fly. Drawing on personal diaries, letters, and papers, McCullough brings their determination and genius vividly to life.

Why Nations Fail

by Daron Acemoglu, James Robinson