[wgman]

I've become very interested in the Irish War of Independence recently so I'll post some of books on that subject that I've obtained in the last couple of years.

"Kerry's fighting story, 1916-21 : told by the men who made it : with a unique pictorial record of the period"

[wgman]

Another good book on the period of the Irish War of Independence about a figure from the war who should be much more well known.

"Rebel Heart: George Lennon: Flying Column Commander" by Terence O'Reilly

[Captain Havoc]

I'm slowly going through Kilkenny in revolutionary times by Eoin Swithin Walsh. It's good and easy read, I'm just stuck for time to read it in.

[Nika Bolokov]

Found the Nigerian History Quiz Book a fun way to navigate the history of Africa's most populous and diverse country.

[BalcombeSt4]

I have a ton of books on Northern Ireland conflict. The Best ones I have are

A great series by Henry McDondald, Jim Cusack & Jack Holland on the non-IRA paramilitaries which include.... "INLA - Deadly Divisions" I have both the 1994 & 2007 versions, the updated version of "UVF - Endgame" & "The UDA - Inside The Heart of Loyalist Terror" - Great books, I love all the little details about dates, times, places, how exactly an action happened etc... I don't like the political tone, but it's a very well written book.

"The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign Terror in London" by Steven P. Moysey - Very interesting book, badly written in that there's spelling mistakes on every second page, but even still a fascinating book.

[BalcombeSt4]

Peter Taylors book on the IRA, "Provos: Behind The Mask" - I thinks that's the best book written on the Provisional IRA. Peter Taylor unlike a lot of other authors really understands the the Republican movement & it's culture, and he has a great insight into it.

"Big boys Rules: The SAS and the Secret Struggle against the IRA" by Mark Urban is briliant. Again I love the little details he goes into, for example like explaining the IRA's digger bomb attack on The Birches, from planning stages, right up until the IRA Volunteers got back to safety, explaining how man men were used & how they were used, that a small bomb attack on Pomperoy barracks wa just a diversion, how the IRA vols escaped into Belfast b boat through Lough Neagh which is only about a mile from the Birches. Details like that in it were great.

Anne CadWallader's books "Lethal Allies: Britih Collusion in Ireland" is a great book on the activities of the Glenanne Gang from 1972 - 1978.

And both Don Mullan's & Joe Tiernan's books on the Dublin & Monaghan bombings are both very good.

[Manach]

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing.
Re-reading this for the excellent sections on how the crew survived months of social isolation on limited rations during the time they were trapped on the ice-flows.

[ancapailldorcha]

I mentioned in another thread that I'd read Marc Morris' three books, A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain, King John: Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta & The Norman Conquest. I highly recommend all three books. Morris seems to have really done his research and constructs an excellent and compelling narrative for all three books.

I recently finished Dan Jones' The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England. It's a good primer to the subject but I do think that, for myself at least it's better to read a whole work about a specific monarch or historical figure as even a few chapters only really scratch the surface. I think this book was originally only intended to chronicle the life of Richard II but it evolved to cover the entire Plantagenet line beginning with Geoffrey of Anjou and finishing with Richard II's deposition by Henry of Bolingbroke.

Today, I've started Lauren Johnson's Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI. My housemate has been raving about this one and he's quite well read on English history. So far, I'm impressed. Johnson writes a very engaging narrative. So far, I'm still on the introductory material about Henry V but I think I'm going to really enjoy this. The Wars of the Roses is a very complex topic but to read the Yorkist side, I've picked up Thomas Penn's The Brothers York: An English Tragedy, again at the recommendation of my housemate.

[BalcombeSt4]

Homage To Catalonia.

It's still so relevant to our world today.

It's a little more to do with the revolution rather than the civil war & a lot on the in-fighting between the the CNT, the POUM, The Stalinists & other left groups. It paints a grim picture of war, Orwell points out that the poorer people in Barcelona looked upon the Francoist Assault Guards "as something rather resembling the Black and Tans"
He goes on to say that...
"when I see an actual flesh & blood worker in conflict with his natural enemy, the policeman , I do not have to ask myself which side I am on (the workers).

^ Shades there of the conflicts in Ireland, in the 1920's the RIC & the Auxies, in following decades the RUC & B-Specials and later UDR. And their enemy was mostly poor, working class Irish people.

Like Noam Chomsky I think this is Orwells best book, along with "Burmese Days".

[BloodyBill]

Originally Posted by BalcombeSt4

Homage To Catalonia.

It's still so relevant to our world today.

It's a little more to do with the revolution rather than the civil war & a lot on the in-fighting between the the CNT, the POUM, The Stalinists & other left groups. It paints a grim picture of war, Orwell points out that the poorer people in Barcelona looked upon the Francoist Assault Guards "as something rather resembling the Black and Tans"
He goes on to say that...
"when I see an actual flesh & blood worker in conflict with his natural enemy, the policeman , I do not have to ask myself which side I am on (the workers).

^ Shades there of the conflicts in Ireland, in the 1920's the RIC & the Auxies, in following decades the RUC & B-Specials and later UDR. And their enemy was mostly poor, working class Irish people.

Like Noam Chomsky I think this is Orwells best book, along with "Burmese Days".

Ah the 'working class' get way too much homage. The working class are always in the heart of conflict with the law..its followed on to the Guards from the RIC .I d agree with that assertion..Luckily most people are middle class now . If I see a policeman keeping the peace against a bunch of trots or vandals I want to lend a hand.

[Manach]

Mod Note: @BloodyBill - Please keep posts on topic, i.e. recommended historical resources.

[ancapailldorcha]

Originally Posted by ancapailldorcha

Today, I've started Lauren Johnson's Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI. My housemate has been raving about this one and he's quite well read on English history. So far, I'm impressed. Johnson writes a very engaging narrative. So far, I'm still on the introductory material about Henry V but I think I'm going to really enjoy this. The Wars of the Roses is a very complex topic but to read the Yorkist side, I've picked up Thomas Penn's The Brothers York: An English Tragedy, again at the recommendation of my housemate.

This one's a recommendation I think.

I'm going to read Penn's Yorkist book next and his biography of Henry Tudor.

Has anyone here read anything good about Henry VIII? There's a few books focusing on his wives and one by Alison Weir who's not a historian.

[Batrachotox]

I’ve started on “The Boer War” by Thomas Packenham - very much enjoyed the Scramble for Africa which is the last book of his I read so hoping this will be of a similar standard

[Batrachotox]

Originally Posted by ancapailldorcha

Has anyone here read anything good about Henry VIII? There's a few books focusing on his wives and one by Alison Weir who's not a historian.

Tracy Borman has one on Henry VIII himself, might be a good place to start. I believe she also has an upcoming book covering all the Tudors.

[Manach]

For the period of the Old West of the US, "Dreams of El Dorado" by W. Brands was an excellent read.