[The Clockwork Rat]

Probably quite a boring choice: E.J. Hobsbawm - The Age of Revolution

I would probably find history books more interesting if the ones I read went into more depth about the lives of people, i.e. sociological history.

[Kman]

Anything Murray Rothbard wrote.

[Goldberk]

A great book on radical labor history: Detroit: I Do Mind Dying

http://www.amazon.com/Detroit-Revolution-Updated-Edition-Classics/dp/0896085716

A great account of revolutionary union movements in one of the most fascinating cities in the west.

[Amanita]

My favourite history book is The Histories of Herodotus. Even thinking about it induces that kind of fluttery feeling.

I also enjoy itinerary accounts (Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Ludovico di Varthema, Johann Schiltberger, Ferdynand Ossendowski) immensely.

[Nattering Nabob]

I also enjoy itinerary accounts

Check out the Journals of Lewis and Clark...

http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/

[Husky]

A People's History of the World

Liberation: The Bitter Road to Freedom, Europe 1944-1945

The Ascent of Money: a Financial History of the World

Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town

[qeddeq]

the greatest work of history ever is by Thucydides called the History of the Peloponnesian War. this is an established fact. De Gallo Bellico(the gallic wars) by caesar, the decline and fall of the roam empire by gibbon, this is not a complete list but the books you guys have mentioned don't even come close to the above works. no wonder you don't know anything.

[fuser]

any history book written before 1900 is shit. These book themselves should be studied as a historical subject matter only.

[ThirdTerm]

The British Empire evolved using three distinct, yet simultaneous, models. The reader may struggle to figure this out since the author does not present his unifying theme upfront. In an otherwise excellent book, this is not a fatal flaw. The first model involved pure colonization, a method by which Europeans moved in to a virgin territory and elbowed aside the indigenous populations — as happened in North America, Australia and New Zealand. In the second model, the British came as weak interlopers bringing valuable trade goods and establishing industrial and commercial enclaves along the littorals of powerful native empires. Though they arrived as relatively unthreatening supplicants, the British soon proved themselves to be something more intrusive. Using a combination of guile, military leverage and outright bribery, they came to dominate the host nation’s people without ever becoming a majority among them, eventually supplanting the native rulers. India is the prime example of this model at work, although most of Britain’s African colonies were gained in this manner. Perhaps the most interesting chapter is the story of the rebellions, of which there were many. These are often referred to as “Queen Victoria’s small wars.” Although the British military leadership over time has had its share of Colonel Blimps, there were some amazingly good performances by British commanders such as Lords Kitchener and Wellington. However, the absolute superstar of the empire-building era was Garnet Wolseley, who operated successfully in theaters as diverse as India, Africa and Canada with nearly unwavering success. In so doing, he employed a combination of tactical skill, superb logistical planning and leadership by example to gain his victories.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/15/book-reviewunfinished-empire/

[starman2003]

The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire by Gibbon is fantastic.

It's fantastic literature, and I like some of his conclusions, such as those concerning the fate of Valerian and cause of the west's fall.

Some of the Osprey titles are interesting.

[BATIK]

E.J. Hobsbawm - The Age of Revolution

Jared Diamond - Guns, Germs and Steel

Chris Harman - A People's History of the World

[Jeliza-Rose]

12 years a slave