Miembroccjolliffe

I know history books.

If that sounds like a rather brash introduction, let me temper it with this stipulation: I think I know the merit of the books better than I know the actual history in them. For whatever reason, information about the books sticks in my mediocre memory more than the information in the books. Over the two decades that I've been raising this 700-book beast, I've consulted the Book Review Digest -- the incomparable resource of expert opinion -- for most of my purchases, and have also gleaned much from the bibliographical material in various books (such as the magnificent bibliography in Palmer & Coulton's "History of the Modern World"). So perhaps I should say that I know the expert buzz on the books, augmented by my own judgement of those I have read so far.

I mention this all because it may be of some use here. If you have a question about good reading on a particular historical subject, feel free to post it here, and I'll see what I can do for ya.

And of course you can just browse my list. Since I'm a freebie, I guess I'm limited to just 200 of the 700+ titles on my shelves. But I've built my collection with a ruthless eye for quality. While "bias" as such neither does nor should disqualify a book (wasn't Robert Conquest biased against Stalin?), I do require a historian to found his judgments on a maximum of fact. All of the books you'll find here are trustworthy authorities, carefully conceived and well written. If some of them have fallen behind the leading edge of scholarship, all either are now or were recently among the best treatments of their subject.

I'm trying to add my own little reviews as I go -- and where I can. They will be souls of brevity; just a jot about the book's claim to fame.

Incidentally, if you have any attraction to history, I encourage you to click the "homepage" link below. It will take you to the best history discussion forum on the Web: Simaqian Studio. Sign up, jump in, sound off!