Favourite Historian

Manach

In the run up to the Christmas reading season, might I inquire what are peoples favourite historians who they would recommend?
From memory, I'd have enjoyed David Wetzel, who while has not written much, presents an excellent iTunes lecture series on modern Europe giving both the human and social element of historical changes.

Historybluff

I like Richard J. Evans. His book Death in Hamburg is a brilliant investigation into a cholera epidemic in the late nineteenth century. His trilogy on the Third Reich is great too.

I also like Niall Ferguson (as a historian, not as a political pundit). The Pity of War, his book on the First World War, is well worth a read. Another good one is The War of the World, which seeks to understand why the first half of the twentieth century was so violent.

Michael Burleigh is good too (again as a historian, not as a political pundit). The Third Reich and Moral Combat: A History of World War II are good reads.

As for Irish historians, Diarmaid Ferriter is quite good.

Jawgap

Tom Holland and Peter Heather for the early stuff

Andrew Roberts, Michael Burleigh, Michael Howard, Paul kennedy, Ian Kershaw, Carlo D'Este - bits of Max Hastings, Antony James Beevor and Andrew Keegan - for WWII and military history

If I was to recommend one historian / one book for Christmas - it would be

Tom Holland and 'Rubicon'

or

Max Hastings and 'All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945'

TwoGallants

Tony Judt, 'Postwar'

Probably the greatest history book of the last half century.

Other favourites of mine, A.J.P. Taylor and Diarmuid Ferriter.

Redlimo

I'd recommend any or all of Roger Crowleys books. Some riveting reading!