Recommended Reading

premierlass · 30-06-2011 4:01pm

Explaining Irish Democracy by Bill Kissane.

dragon_wannabee · 30-06-2011 8:53pm

That book looks good, thanks a million premierlass

Peep O'Day · 16-10-2011 11:32pm

can anyone recommend a good book on the irish citizen army? it's an organisation that i am particularly fascinated about and would love to learn a lot more on them. thanks

mirror mirror · 22-10-2011 2:20pm

Anybody with an interest in the war of independence around kilkenny ,this book is a must.

IrishPublisher · 27-10-2011 11:44am

'Revolution: A Photographic History of Revolutionary Ireland 1913-1923', it covers the Lockout, 1916, The War of Independence, The Truce, The Civil War and the Aftermath. It contains over 100 images, some never before seen. Its by a young historian from Ennis.

It has been nominated for an Irish Book Award 2011. I have put a sample up in issuu here so you can take a look. http://issuu.com/MercierPress/docs/revolutionsample/1

Hopefully I have attached a sample image too. Its of the attack on the Four Courts, late June 1922.

MODERATOR EDIT:
I am leaving the book name here as some people may be interested in it. Note advertising is not allowed. Refer to charter and boards.ie guidelines for further info.

patsman07 · 04-01-2012 3:31pm

'Independent Ireland' is an excellent book which charts the move from Free State to Republic. It's written by a former lecturer of mine- Ronan Fanning.

Belfast · 04-01-2012 5:11pm

Everything You Were Taught About The Civil War Is Wrong
by Lochlainn Seabrook

Abraham Lincoln - The Southern View
by Lochlainn Seabrook

Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe
Thomas DiLorenzo

The Real Lincoln, by Loyola College economics prof Thomas J. DiLorenzo.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History
by Thomas E. Woods Jr.

33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask
by Thomas E. Woods Jr.

A Century of War by John V. Denson

the_monkey · 13-01-2012 1:11am

I read _Rise and fall of the third reich_ - excellent, and during reading this I realised I don't know much about WWI ... so any good recommendations
on the history of WWI and the lead up to it ?

Thanks

Belfast · 31-01-2012 3:32pm

"The Vampire Economy, by Guenter Reimann (1939) is a rare and wonderful thing: a detailed account of how the Nazis crushed the private sector and hamstrung the economy with vast regulations, violations of property rights, inflation, price controls, and taxes. "
The author emigrated from Germany and worked on Wall Street after the war. One very odd thing: Reimann was a member of the Communist Party.

THE business organization of private enterprise has had to be reorganized in accordance with the new state of things. Departments which previously were the heart of a firm have become of minor importance. Other departments which either did not exist or which had only auxiliary functions have become dominant and have usurped the real functions of management.

Formerly the purchasing agent and the salesmanager were among the most important members of a business organization. Today the emphasis has shifted and a curious new business aide, a sort of combination “gobetween” and public relations counsel, is now all-important.

His jobâ€”not the least interesting outgrowth of the Nazi economic systemâ€”is to maintain good personal relations with officials in the Economic Ministry, where he is an almost daily caller; he studies all the new regulations and decrees, knows how to interpret them in relation to his particular firm and is able to guess at what may be permitted or forbidden. In other words, it is his business to know how far one can go without being caught. He also develops special knowledge on how to camouflage private interests so that they appear to be “interests of the community” or of the State."

http://mises.org/books/vampireeconomy.pdf

Reekwind · 08-02-2012 11:38pm

Belfast wrote: »

"The Vampire Economy, by Guenter Reimann (1939) is a rare and wonderful thing: a detailed account of how the Nazis crushed the private sector and hamstrung the economy with vast regulations, violations of property rights, inflation, price controls, and taxes. "
The author emigrated from Germany and worked on Wall Street after the war. One very odd thing: Reimann was a member of the Communist Party

While I haven't read this work itself, I find it very hard to see how a book written by a German emigre financier in 1939 can be considered a balanced account of the subject. Particularly when subsequent works - and Tooze's Wages of Destruction is currently the definitive study on the Nazi economy - have shown how German industrialists sponsored and prospered from both Nazi domestic policies (ie, the abolition of the Weimar 'welfare state', etc) and foreign adventures

Really, if you have any interest in the subject then Tooze is a must-read

Lor1963 · 07-05-2012 5:27pm

If you're interested in the Final Solution you should try Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning.It's really insightful with regard to the Reserve Police Battalions that took part in the massacres.It's certainly not for the faint of heart though....horrific,but brilliant!

jonniebgood1 · 21-05-2012 2:59pm

http://www.difp.ie/publication-reviews/

This ebook download (in link) contains private correspondences in relation to the anglo-Irish treaty negotiations. It is a free download. I think you may need kindle.

herisson · 20-06-2012 8:56pm

got two books today! They seem really interesting ill let ye know if they are!

Witnesses: Inside the Easter Rising - Annie Ryan

gives eye witness accounts from the easter rising from the people who took part and the civilians who witnessed everything

Hitlers Irishmen - Terence O'Reilly

Gives the account of the few Irishmen who were involved in the nazi side in World War 2, some of whom were used as spies for German side!

Manach · 21-06-2012 12:15pm

Various Open US University (Stanford etc) courses are available free online, of which a couple are history themed.
https://www.coursera.org/courses.

G.K. · 05-08-2012 11:17pm

I realise this is quite the left-field question, does anyone know any decent books on East Timor during the Indonesian occupation?

Much appreciated.

WilcoOut · 25-11-2012 8:05pm

could somebody recommend a book that would cover the Middle East conflict in its entirety?

also, could somebody recommend a book that would cover the Israeli - Palestine conflict in its entirety?

Im not looking for something too in depth - more of a synopsis for somebody with a non existent/basic knowledge of the regions and conflicts in question

Cheers!

pedroeibar1 · 25-11-2012 9:48pm

WilcoOut wrote: »

could somebody recommend a book that would cover the Middle East conflict in its entirety?

also, could somebody recommend a book that would cover the Israeli - Palestine conflict in its entirety?

Im not looking for something too in depth - more of a synopsis for somebody with a non existent/basic knowledge of the regions and conflicts in question

Cheers!

The Great War for Civilisation by Robert Fisk is a very worthwhile read.

WilcoOut · 25-11-2012 11:13pm

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

The Great War for Civilisation by Robert Fisk is a very worthwhile read.

little bit heavy for what im looking for!

anything else a little lighter?

RGM · 05-12-2012 11:58am

Someone recommended How the Irish Saved Civilization to me, but I'm not sure how much weight their opinion should hold. Anyone read it?

http://www.amazon.com/Irish-Saved-Civilization-Hinges-History/dp/0385418493

GRMA · 08-12-2012 3:44pm

The famine plot by Tim pat coogan. Terrific.

Although it will haunt you.

WilcoOut · 10-12-2012 8:54pm

GRMA wrote: »

The famine plot by Tim pat coogan. Terrific.

Although it will haunt you.

its on the christmas list

im glad u found it good, cant wait to get my paws on it

upncmnhistori · 12-01-2013 7:18pm

The Black and Tans
British Police and Auxiliaries in the Irish War of Independence, 1920-1921 by
D. M. Leeson

The Transformation of Ireland 1900-2000 by Dr. Diarmuid Ferriter.

Ireland's Misfortune the turbulent life of Kitty O'Shea by Dr. Elisabeth Kehoe

Thomas_I · 15-01-2013 11:56am

upncmnhistori wrote: »

... The Transformation of Ireland 1900-2000 by Dr. Diarmuid Ferriter...

How was that book in regards to its chapters? I mean what is the main topic he´s concentrating by each decade. I´m considering to evtl. buy that book some time, but still I don´t know whether it is not just merely a repeating of most events also to find in T.P. Coogans book about Ireland in the 20th Century.

Reekwind · 15-01-2013 12:43pm

It's more an overview. A comparison with Hobsbawm's long century trilogy isn't entirely fitting (as few can match Hobsbawm's ease with the pen) but Ferriter takes a similar approach - skimming events and focusing primarily on the social undercurrents. So while some events naturally dominate their eras (the Rising, Emergency, Troubles, etc) they're rarely centrestage

Thomas_I · 15-01-2013 12:54pm

Reekwind wrote: »

It's more an overview. A comparison with Hobsbawm's long century trilogy isn't entirely fitting (as few can match Hobsbawm's ease with the pen) but Ferriter takes a similar approach - skimming events and focusing primarily on the social undercurrents. So while some events naturally dominate their eras (the Rising, Emergency, Troubles, etc) they're rarely centrestage

Thanks for that which makes it a bit more interesting to read it. It might tell the story from a different part of view.

upncmnhistori · 15-01-2013 2:05pm

Thomas_I wrote: »

How was that book in regards to its chapters? I mean what is the main topic he´s concentrating by each decade. I´m considering to evtl. buy that book some time, but still I don´t know whether it is not just merely a repeating of most events also to find in T.P. Coogans book about Ireland in the 20th Century.

Chapters 1 - 3 are based on social history of Ireland, including Easter Rising
to the Irish Civil War.

Chapter's 4 -5 contains the economic war, FF Vs Cumman Na Gael (FG),
the role of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Noel Browne. The slum's in
Dublin.

Chapter's 6-7 is education system reform with Patrick Hillary, emigration,
E. E. C., and the outbreak of the troubles in N. Ireland.

Chapters 7-9: Not much as in the previous chapters usually its Fianna Fail,
Fr. Brendan Smyth story, Progressive Democrats. The fall of the Roman Catholic church.

I haven't read T. P. Coogan's book nor have I read any of his books although he was recommended reading in my degree along with Ferriter, R. F. Foster, and Conor Cruise O' Brian. I am starting to think women historian author's don't get recommended correct me if I am wrong but we never stopped hearing the names of Foster, Coogan, Ferriter, and Cruise O'Brian.

Thomas_I · 15-01-2013 2:26pm

upncmnhistori wrote: »

Chapters 1 - 3 are based on social history of Ireland, including Easter Rising
to the Irish Civil War.

Chapter's 4 -5 contains the economic war, FF Vs Cumman Na Gael (FG),
the role of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Noel Browne. The slum's in
Dublin.

Chapter's 6-7 is education system reform with Patrick Hillary, emigration,
E. E. C., and the outbreak of the troubles in N. Ireland.

Chapters 7-9: Not much as in the previous chapters usually its Fianna Fail,
Fr. Brendan Smyth story, Progressive Democrats. The fall of the Roman Catholic church.

I haven't read T. P. Coogan's book nor have I read any of his books although he was recommended reading in my degree along with Ferriter, R. F. Foster, and Conor Cruise O' Brian. I am starting to think women historian author's don't get recommended correct me if I am wrong but we never stopped hearing the names of Foster, Coogan, Ferriter, and Cruise O'Brian.

Thank you very much for your efforts to tell me in short about the chapters. I appreciate that.

I´ve once started to read T. P. Coogan´s book "Ireland in the 20th Century" and up to the 1940s and so I haven´t finished it yet. I´ve just finished his biography about Michael Collins recently. It´s interesting to read his books because he´s going deep into the subject, sometimes a bit to far in examaning it which can sometimes be a bit boring, but the inwoven short remarks from his family background on some events then are refreshing.

Aside of Coogan´s books I´ve a couple of T. Ryle Dwyer and a few other authors. Ferriter is rather new to me and I´ve noticed from other posts that he has an different approach on Irish history in compare to other historians.

As you´ve mentioned it, I also can´t recall any femal historian authors on Irish history. I´ve never payed much attention to that because usually I select the books based on their title, short discription about its contents and the historical period it is about.

upncmnhistori · 15-01-2013 3:30pm

Thomas_I wrote: »

Thank you very much for your efforts to tell me in short about the chapters. I appreciate that.

I´ve once started to read T. P. Coogan´s book "Ireland in the 20th Century" and up to the 1940s and so I haven´t finished it yet. I´ve just finished his biography about Michael Collins recently. It´s interesting to read his books because he´s going deep into the subject, sometimes a bit to far in examaning it which can sometimes be a bit boring, but the inwoven short remarks from his family background on some events then are refreshing.

Aside of Coogan´s books I´ve a couple of T. Ryle Dwyer and a few other authors. Ferriter is rather new to me and I´ve noticed from other posts that he has an different approach on Irish history in compare to other historians.

As you´ve mentioned it, I also can´t recall any female historian authors on Irish history. I´ve never payed much attention to that because usually I select the books based on their title, short discription about its contents and the historical period it is about.

As for female writers it was always male selected authors in our classes but diving into self-research of women's studies Maria Luddy and Dr. Caitriona Clear come up a lot. Your welcome I thought I was waffling a bit.
I must check out T. Ryle Dwyer. We were told that Ferriter is what is called a 'post-revionist' historian. To be honest I found doing revisionist history quiet daunting but I prefer historian that dig deep and keep things straight forward and chronollogically. I do warn you in Ferriter's book there is a lot to take in per page but its well worth the read when you get to the end of it.

Continueing the list of recommended reading I know its politics but it includes the history of corruption in it.

Political corruption in Ireland: A Crooked Harp? by Elaine A. Byrne. Very interesting book the amount of times that Haughey and Ray Burke pop up in it though... what I didn't like about it is that there were so many words I didn't understand and had to go get the dictionary to understand them and I love heavy reading.

Thomas_I · 15-01-2013 3:54pm

upncmnhistori wrote: »

As for female writers it was always male selected authors in our classes but diving into self-research of women's studies Maria Luddy and Dr. Caitriona Clear come up a lot. Your welcome I thought I was waffling a bit.
I must check out T. Ryle Dwyer. We were told that Ferriter is what is called a 'post-revionist' historian. To be honest I found doing revisionist history quiet daunting but I prefer historian that dig deep and keep things straight forward and chronollogically. I do warn you in Ferriter's book there is a lot to take in per page but its well worth the read when you get to the end of it.

Continueing the list of recommended reading I know its politics but it includes the history of corruption in it.

Political corruption in Ireland: A Crooked Harp? by Elaine A. Byrne. Very interesting book the amount of times that Haughey and Ray Burke pop up in it though... what I didn't like about it is that there were so many words I didn't understand and had to go get the dictionary to understand them and I love heavy reading.

I find it always interesting when these book authors appear on TV documentary because it gives one a different impression of them when they´re interviewed on a subject. I know Ferriter only from such documentaries and the way he´s talking about some historical things sounds a bit complicated to me. I thought that his books are likewise complicated written. That´s something that most academics have in common, I´d say.

I think that some time I´ll have a try on Ferriters book.

ECF · 17-01-2013 1:50pm

I am currently reading John Miitchel's Jail Journal which is a terrific read.

Can anyone recommend any other good reads on the Fenians or the Fenian movement?

Many thanks.

GRMA · 19-01-2013 5:00am

Felons Track my Michael Doheny, contemporary of Mitchel

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14468/14468-h/14468-h.htm

Read the last conquest of ireland written by mitchel too, its excellent. (available free online too)

slowburner · 14-03-2013 9:45am

Free to download until the end of March - A History of Ireland in 100 Objects.

http://eu2013.ie/100objects/

Liberalbrehon · 26-03-2013 4:39pm

I read 1776 America and Britain at War by David McCullough,
A brilliant insight into that seminal year in the American revolution. Well worth the read and has got me very interested in that couple of decades 70's and 80's as well as the subsequent war of 1812. Very interesting times and people.
And that Paul Revere was not the hero he was made out to be post 1860's.

hardy buck salmon · 29-03-2013 2:46pm

The Green Flag - A History of Irish Nationalism
By Robert Kee.

ECF · 24-06-2013 12:21pm

Apart from Padraig Yeats' book can anyone recommend an accessible book on the Dublin lockout?

the_monkey · 26-06-2013 2:40pm

King Leopolds Ghost, I have heard this is excellent, I will give it a go.

Hidalgo · 02-07-2013 10:36pm

the_monkey wrote: »

King Leopolds Ghost, I have heard this is excellent, I will give it a go.

Flicked through it in a bookshop last week, looks very interesting. Mainly told from the perspective of one Belgian young man who traveled the region (whose name escapes me.

otterj · 28-06-2014 1:39pm

Looking for a good book on the factors that caused world war 1.

Hidalgo · 28-06-2014 7:24pm

otterj wrote: »

Looking for a good book on the factors that caused world war 1.

I'm sure bookshops will be stocking up on this theme and the war itself with the centenary upon us, most already have.

The Origins of the First World War by William Mulligan might be worth your while. Book argues that the war wasn't necessarily a forgone conclusion.

Hew Strachans The First World War is a very readable account of the war itself. Very good for an overview if the entire conflict

Cool_CM · 16-07-2014 8:45pm

For anybody with a Kindle: The Ben Macintyre back catalogue is on sale for ridiculous prices on Amazon at the moment.

mossie · 01-01-2015 8:35pm

Looking for recommendations on good books on ancient Greece and Rome - books giving an over view rather than specifics to start with. Also any good book on the Franco-Prussian war?

Thomas_. · 08-07-2015 11:56am

For what led to WWI and what happened during WWI:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Crisis-1911-1918-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141442050

For the aftermath of WWI:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Crisis-1911-1918-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141442050

Both books are written by Winston Spencer Churchill and it gives the views of an Insider who was himself involved in the politics of pre-WWI, as First Lord of the Admirality up to his resignation for the Dardanelles desaster. Serving in Flanders afterwards and returning to government posts.

Both books are very interesting and I would highly recommend both of them, to those Irish Readers who can overcome their reluctancy towards the author. There are three chapters on Irish matters in the book "the aftermath" as to see via the second link.

Scraiclad · 20-08-2015 10:05pm

Anyone know of some good books about early Christian/Gaelic ireland or a non biased book about the Troubles?

laoch na mona · 20-08-2015 11:17pm

Scraiclad wrote: »

Anyone know of some good books about early Christian/Gaelic ireland or a non biased book about the Troubles?

it may not be what you are looking for but Bernadette Devlin's autobiography is a valuable account for anyone who want's to understand why working class nationalists embraced armed republicanism.

from civil rights to armalites by niall o dochartaigh, is a good academic book on the same period. It really helps explain how the troubles started

toby Harnden's bandit country is a good account of the war in south armagh.

mad dog, Johnny Adair's autobiography is helpful to understand the loyalists perspective.

Scraiclad · 20-08-2015 11:44pm

Thanks they all look worth looking into, especially Bandit Country. Any ideas on Gaelic Ireland? Pre-1600s sort of thing.

laoch na mona · 21-08-2015 10:32am

Scraiclad wrote: »

Thanks they all look worth looking into, especially Bandit Country. Any ideas on Gaelic Ireland? Pre-1600s sort of thing.

Gaelic and Gaelicised Ireland by Kenneth Nicholas is a very good readable book on this period

ilkhanid · 28-11-2015 8:44pm

mossie wrote: »

Looking for recommendations on good books on ancient Greece and Rome - books giving an over view rather than specifics to start with. Also any good book on the Franco-Prussian war?

Anything by Michael Grant is good, but they might be OoP

Thomas_.. · 15-02-2016 1:40pm

This is worth a reading for anyone who´s interested in the aftermath of the Easter Rising 1916:

Easter Rising 1916: The Trials, by Seán Enright

The book contains extracts from the files with the protocols on each of the tried by the Military Court which sentenced all of the signatories of the Proclamation to death.

Quoted from the Website of the irishacademicpress (sorry, but I can´t post links yet):

A pioneering study of the military trials of the Irish rebels following the Easter Rising. An engaging account of the rebellion drawing on recently released archives from the Public Records Office. Fascinating insight into the reactions of the British Government in dealing with the republican prisoners throughout the trials.

Ascendant · 17-02-2016 12:17pm

PDN wrote: »

God's Secret Agents: Queen Elizabeth's Forbidden Priests and the Hatching of the Gunpowder Plot by Alice Hogge. This is Hogge's first book, but she writes well and describes how the Jesuits sent missionaries to England during the anti-Catholic paranoia that followed the Spanish Armada. I was struck by the savagery of the persecution and the courage of the Jesuits. The missionaries slowly gained a foothold, helped by Nicholas Owen - the Oxford joiner who became a master architect of 'priest holes' and secret hiding places. The book skilfully builds up to the needless tragedy (for English Catholicism) of the Gunpowder Plot.

A good 'prequel' would be The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I, by Stephen Alford, focusing on the early years of Elizabeth's reign, particularly the politics and international context, and the espionage and use of covert agents - both by the English state and the Catholic powers hostile to it.

Am still halfway through it but so far, it seems to be arguing simultaneously that Tudor England was a paranoid police-state and that it had much to be paranoid about.

Also, for a relatively 'light' read (in terms of length): Blood Runs Green, by Gillian O'Brien.

Set a little earlier than my usual period of choice (early 20th c. Ireland/War of Independence) amidst the Fenians and Irish-Americans of Chicago, and the high-profile murder and subsequent investigation/trial that showed just how divided the community was.

bobbyss · 05-07-2016 11:20am

Started On Royalty by Jeremy Paxman. Very well written very fresh and very critical of the whole idea.

Recommended Reading

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