2014 Favourite History Reads

Manach

Given it is end of year, what are people's best history reads in fact, fiction or in the case of autobiographies a bit of both.

My own would be "Iron Curtain" by Anne Applebaum. It draws from records and interviews so paint a vivid picture of post-WWII Eastern Europe.

jonniebgood1

Have been reading less and less as year moved on due to work. I did go through a very good reference book for heritage type information on Irelands development in industrial terms: "Industrial Ireland 1750- 1930" Colin Rynne. I would recommend it highly particularly for its consistent references to sites around the country that re-inforce the view that Ireland underwent a large scale industrial revolution that is sometimes underestimated as it is compared to the English experience. When Ireland is compared to mainland Europe the industrialisation process was ahead of most nations in several ways.

In relation to your referenced book Manach I will keep an eye out for it. I read "Liberation the bitter road to freedom, Europe 1944-1945" by William Hitchcock which is a real eye-opener. The liberators were not always as portrayed nowadays. Hitchcock deals with both East and West Europe. Its a few years old at this stage.

j80ezgvc3p92xu

Had to say two books stood out for me:

1. The Kaiser's Reluctant Soldier - a diary by Dominik Richert.

This is a book I found by accident in the TCD library history section. I was immediately intrigued when I read the back. This is a diary of a German soldier who fought on the Eastern front during World War One - a real treat since there is so little literature available on this subject in Ireland. The poor bloke was drafted in 1914 and served right up to the end of 1918 when he deserted to the French. His account is absolutely harrowing and horrifying- Richert really does not hold back on the details of what he saw. At the same time, there is a nice personal touch which really allows the author's personality to shine through. He talks about how he hid in a hole to avoid taking part in attacking a fortified hill held by the Russians or how he deliberately annoyed the entitled officer class. This was definitely one of the best and most eye opening books I have read in my entire life.

2. Warsaw 1944 by Alexandra Richie

A book about the ill fated Warsaw uprising during the Second World War. The author describes the utter destruction of a beautiful city in the middle of Europe in great detail. I found there was more emphasis on what the civilians trapped inside the city went through rather than the combatants themselves, but this allowed the book to compliment Norman Davies' work on the same topic. Overall, great discussion of the Polish, German, Soviet and Western positions on the Rising.

I have heard good things about Applebaum, I was looking for her book on the Gulags before but never really pursued it through. Might give it a go in the new year. Good thread.

pedroeibar1

Good idea Manach, (but I'm not a big fan of post 1900!)
Read lots of history books in 2014, (even started Tom Reilly’s book on Cromwell/Drogheda) but head and shoulders above all of them was a Christmas present from 2013 - Charles Mann: "1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created".
The book details the economic, agricultural and biological cross-pollination that occurred after Columbus arrived in America. It extends to cover the cross-impact of everything from corn, tobacco, potato (interesting chapter on Irish Famine, quotes O’Grada), malaria, plague, China, Japan, Mexico, Andes and all places in-between. A great read that flows along and places many events in perspective.