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Best American History Books
Books about the history of the United States. Non-fiction only, please. Biographies of generals, presidents, activists, etc. are fine, but celebrity bios, even celebrities who lived in turbulent times, will be removed. To be considered History and not Current Events, books must focus on events that occurred at least 50 years ago.
See also:
Best 19th Century American (U.S.) History - 3.7 Stars and Up
Best 20th Century American (U.S.) History - 3.7 Stars and Up
See also:
Best 19th Century American (U.S.) History - 3.7 Stars and Up
Best 20th Century American (U.S.) History - 3.7 Stars and Up
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 1 |
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John Adams
by
4.08 avg rating — 374,457 ratings
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| 2 |
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1776
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4.10 avg rating — 244,702 ratings
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| 3 |
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Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
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4.28 avg rating — 197,353 ratings
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| 4 |
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A People’s History of the United States: 1492 - Present
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4.08 avg rating — 261,329 ratings
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| 5 |
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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
by
4.26 avg rating — 100,321 ratings
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| 6 |
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Alexander Hamilton
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4.22 avg rating — 196,290 ratings
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| 7 |
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Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
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4.40 avg rating — 33,382 ratings
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| 8 |
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The Devil in the White City
by
Erik Larson (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 744,791 ratings
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| 9 |
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Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
by
3.95 avg rating — 47,105 ratings
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| 10 |
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Truman
by
4.17 avg rating — 90,631 ratings
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| 11 |
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Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier
by
4.23 avg rating — 66,765 ratings
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| 12 |
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The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Theodore Roosevelt, #1)
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4.22 avg rating — 59,655 ratings
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| 13 |
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
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4.37 avg rating — 286,811 ratings
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| 14 |
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Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
by
Nathaniel Philbrick (Goodreads Author)
3.89 avg rating — 45,539 ratings
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| 15 |
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Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
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4.44 avg rating — 136,761 ratings
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| 16 |
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Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
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3.97 avg rating — 73,049 ratings
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| 17 |
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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
by
4.39 avg rating — 993,353 ratings
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| 18 |
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Washington: A Life
by
4.16 avg rating — 80,704 ratings
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| 19 |
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The Civil War: A Narrative
by
4.53 avg rating — 8,044 ratings
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| 20 |
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His Excellency: George Washington
by
3.96 avg rating — 43,007 ratings
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| 21 |
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Mary Edwards Walker: America's Only Female Medal of Honor Recipient
by
Ammar Habib (Goodreads Author)
4.37 avg rating — 7,947 ratings
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| 22 |
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The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by
Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author)
4.06 avg rating — 60,600 ratings
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| 23 |
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1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
by
4.05 avg rating — 93,675 ratings
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| 24 |
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Theodore Rex
by
4.19 avg rating — 50,836 ratings
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| 25 |
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The Federalist Papers
by
4.10 avg rating — 41,673 ratings
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| 26 |
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Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
by
4.17 avg rating — 34,354 ratings
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| 27 |
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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
by
Walter Isaacson (Goodreads Author)
4.05 avg rating — 148,229 ratings
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| 28 |
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The Right Stuff
by
4.23 avg rating — 55,100 ratings
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| 29 |
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Citizen Soldiers: The US Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany
by
4.24 avg rating — 24,401 ratings
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| 30 |
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Democracy in America
by
4.05 avg rating — 26,719 ratings
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| 31 |
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The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
by
4.52 avg rating — 27,639 ratings
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| 32 |
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
by
4.13 avg rating — 132,643 ratings
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| 33 |
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No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II
by
4.20 avg rating — 46,510 ratings
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| 34 |
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Master of the Senate (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #3)
by
4.42 avg rating — 23,802 ratings
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| 35 |
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Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
by
4.23 avg rating — 81,927 ratings
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| 36 |
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Mornings on Horseback
by
4.10 avg rating — 34,872 ratings
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| 37 |
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D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Battle for the Normandy Beaches
by
4.31 avg rating — 31,084 ratings
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| 38 |
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American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
by
3.86 avg rating — 56,249 ratings
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| 39 |
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The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #1)
by
4.42 avg rating — 26,087 ratings
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| 40 |
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Washington's Crossing
by
4.16 avg rating — 15,196 ratings
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| 41 |
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Common Sense
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 38,770 ratings
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| 42 |
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Parting the Waters: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-63
by
4.36 avg rating — 10,009 ratings
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| 43 |
|
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
by
Isabel Wilkerson (Goodreads Author)
4.48 avg rating — 114,229 ratings
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| 44 |
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American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson
by
3.94 avg rating — 28,908 ratings
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| 45 |
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Hiroshima
by
4.05 avg rating — 87,376 ratings
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| 46 |
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The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
by
4.25 avg rating — 18,244 ratings
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| 47 |
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In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
by
Nathaniel Philbrick (Goodreads Author)
4.17 avg rating — 116,786 ratings
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| 48 |
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April 1865: The Month That Saved America
by
4.16 avg rating — 12,422 ratings
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| 49 |
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Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
by
4.30 avg rating — 68,192 ratings
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| 50 |
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Assassination Vacation
by
3.93 avg rating — 47,072 ratings
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| 51 |
|
An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #1)
by
4.30 avg rating — 22,351 ratings
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| 52 |
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The Making of the Atomic Bomb
by
4.40 avg rating — 24,033 ratings
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| 53 |
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Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West
by
4.29 avg rating — 19,389 ratings
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| 54 |
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What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815 - 1848
by
4.16 avg rating — 8,653 ratings
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| 55 |
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Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation
by
3.64 avg rating — 8,883 ratings
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| 56 |
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Empire of the Summer Moon
by
4.25 avg rating — 65,109 ratings
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| 57 |
|
Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-69
by
3.99 avg rating — 13,828 ratings
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| 58 |
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The Longest Day: June 6, 1944
by
4.34 avg rating — 25,886 ratings
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| 59 |
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The Johnstown Flood
by
4.13 avg rating — 24,804 ratings
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| 60 |
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The Greatest Generation
by
4.04 avg rating — 19,503 ratings
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| 61 |
|
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
by
Erik Larson (Goodreads Author)
3.89 avg rating — 216,452 ratings
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| 62 |
|
Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (America: A Cultural History, Vol. I)
by
4.37 avg rating — 3,495 ratings
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| 63 |
|
The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
by
4.11 avg rating — 22,751 ratings
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| 64 |
|
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
by
4.05 avg rating — 42,562 ratings
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| 65 |
|
A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
by
4.24 avg rating — 12,451 ratings
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| 66 |
|
A Stillness at Appomattox
by
4.37 avg rating — 6,542 ratings
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| 67 |
|
American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964
by
4.09 avg rating — 13,950 ratings
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| 68 |
|
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
by
4.22 avg rating — 22,479 ratings
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| 69 |
|
The Wright Brothers
by
4.17 avg rating — 97,453 ratings
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| 70 |
|
Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux
by
4.12 avg rating — 18,540 ratings
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| 71 |
|
Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #2)
by
4.28 avg rating — 27,270 ratings
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| 72 |
|
The Passage of Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #4)
by
4.40 avg rating — 19,436 ratings
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| 73 |
|
A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror
by
4.11 avg rating — 3,853 ratings
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| 74 |
|
A History of the American People
by
4.11 avg rating — 2,987 ratings
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| 75 |
|
The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression
by
Amity Shlaes (Goodreads Author)
3.91 avg rating — 6,220 ratings
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| 76 |
|
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History
by
3.98 avg rating — 42,144 ratings
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| 77 |
|
Beads on a String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History
by
Ey Wade (Goodreads Author)
4.83 avg rating — 12 ratings
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| 78 |
|
Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America
by
4.25 avg rating — 10,737 ratings
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| 79 |
|
Profiles in Courage
by
3.92 avg rating — 14,369 ratings
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| 80 |
|
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (World War II Liberation Trilogy, #2)
by
4.36 avg rating — 15,598 ratings
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| 81 |
|
The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America 1932-72
by
4.44 avg rating — 2,168 ratings
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| 82 |
|
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
by
4.08 avg rating — 104,154 ratings
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| 83 |
|
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water
by
4.28 avg rating — 11,729 ratings
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| 84 |
|
The Best and the Brightest
by
4.27 avg rating — 12,698 ratings
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| 85 |
|
Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945
by
4.20 avg rating — 5,391 ratings
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| 86 |
|
With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln
by
4.27 avg rating — 8,648 ratings
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| 87 |
|
Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787
by
4.06 avg rating — 1,989 ratings
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| 88 |
|
Ulysses S. Grant: Memoirs & Selected Letters
by
4.09 avg rating — 3,266 ratings
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| 89 |
|
The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville
by
4.44 avg rating — 13,478 ratings
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| 90 |
|
Collected Writings: Common Sense / The Crisis / Rights of Man / The Age of Reason / Pamphlets, Articles, and Letters
by
4.26 avg rating — 1,722 ratings
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| 91 |
|
Grant
by
4.50 avg rating — 42,546 ratings
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| 92 |
|
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission
by
4.25 avg rating — 38,980 ratings
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| 93 |
|
The Life of Andrew Jackson
by
4.04 avg rating — 3,876 ratings
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| 94 |
|
Anti-Intellectualism in American Life
by
4.11 avg rating — 3,559 ratings
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| 95 |
|
The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History
by
Molly Caldwell Crosby (Goodreads Author)
3.91 avg rating — 6,677 ratings
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| 96 |
|
Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution 1863-1877
by
4.21 avg rating — 6,155 ratings
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| 97 |
|
Twelve Years a Slave
by
4.23 avg rating — 123,660 ratings
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| 98 |
|
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by
Rebecca Skloot (Goodreads Author)
4.13 avg rating — 791,758 ratings
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| 99 |
|
The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson & Abigail & John Adams
by
Lester Jesse Cappon (Editor)
4.29 avg rating — 1,225 ratings
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| 100 |
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The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court
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4.14 avg rating — 5,158 ratings
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Comments Showing 1-50 of 96 (96 new)
So why isn't it up there? I mean, if you think it's the best then it should have at least one vote right?
How is The Rape of Nanking about American history?
Who on earth selected these books? These are supposed to be the BEST of American History Books? Where is Shelby Foote or Bruce Catton? Where is a decent history of the American Revolution? Where is there a history of Political Parties in the US?
Some of these authors are inferior in writing on the subject matter. It is not only important to learn about our history, but to learn about it from leaders in the field of the subject matter. Where is the Viet Nam War?
Some of these authors are inferior in writing on the subject matter. It is not only important to learn about our history, but to learn about it from leaders in the field of the subject matter. Where is the Viet Nam War?
How are books by Mc Cain, Hillary & Bill Clinton insightful into our American History?
It's pretty easy to add books, over at the right side of the page.
A Bright Shining Lie is about Vietnam, as is Dispatches.Shelby Foote is on the list, on page two.
There are plenty of books on the list that are either about the American Revolution, or are biographies of the people involved in it.
And the books were selected by the people who have chosen to vote on this list.
I love this list! I have found some great reads from it. Thanks to everyone who chose the books. My latest read was Indian Givers and it was amazing.
I've read:"John Adams" (Excellent)
and
"Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" (Good).
Currently reading:
"1776". Has been Excellent.
I have yet to read a McCullough I haven't liked.
"Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" is by far and away the best historical non-fiction book I have ever read....glad to see it's high on this list!!
I love The Killer Angels and you can learn a lot from it, but it's a novel. Isn't this a non-fiction list?
Johnny Tremain is a wonderful novel that brings pre-Revolutionary Boston to life, but it's not a history.
I haven't read them (and it's unlikely that I will), butI don't think Ron Paul's books are history.
Gore Vidal's Lincoln, Burr, etc. are all novels.
Cindy, you're the creator of this list - you want me to remove the non-fiction?
I really had non-fiction in mind, but I admit that I voted for Killer Angels. I really don't want this to turn into a historical romance list, but there's a difference between Gone With the Wind and Killer Angels. What does everyone else think?
Y'all tell me what to delete, and I'll be happy to delete it.
Should The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich be on the list?
Deleted The Man in the High Castle - speculative/alternative history (fiction).
I don't see any reason why Rise and Fall of the Third Reich should be on, no.
Susanna wrote: "I don't see any reason why Rise and Fall of the Third Reich should be on, no."Someone 'muxing this ip' with a Philip Roth story that they think is :Teh:Real:?
Go ahead and delete all the fiction. Rise to Rebellion, The Killer Angels, The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
What about Rise and Fall of the Third Reich?I think I have found and removed the non-fiction.
OK, I shall remove it, then.
Alright, I'll remove it.
Although I'm reluctant to be critical of anyone who undertakes the kind of effort on display here, I can't resist commenting that any list of books on American History that includes Jesse Ventura's book and excludes those of Bernard Bailyn -- not to mention Barrington Moore and David Hackett Fischer -- cannot be taken seriously.
You can, of course, add them. Adding books to lists is easy; at the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes." You will then have the option of adding books from your own shelves, or of performing a search of GR's database.Also, David Hackett Fischer's Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, at least, is on the list, because I voted for it. (It is, in fact, currently #55. Washington's Crossing is #25.)
ETA: Bernard Bailyn's Ideological Origins of the American Revolution is currently at #107.
Loved Albion's Seed. I read it because of this list. Great book.
I certainly think so.
Removed:Weezer and the Painted Frog (fiction)
Susanna wrote: "You can, of course, add them. Adding books to lists is easy; at the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes." You will then have the option of adding books from your own shelves, or of per..."My oversight -- it's a great list! I hope it inspires many readers to acquire many of these titles. Participatory democracy works better when more voters know more about the country's history. In 25 years of casual history reading, I have found myself becoming more interested in intellectually challenging history books. I suspect most history 'consumers' have a similar experience. The nation was founded by a group of 'intellectuals'. What would they think about the intellectual quality of contemporary politicians?
I've read a number of books on this list and especially like McCullough's 1776 and John Adams. I also like Founding Brothers a great deal. I downloaded the audio to Shelby Foote's 1st Volume and plan to listen to it as soon as I finish War & Peace, which is not American history or non-fiction, but which is teaching me a great deal about Russian history. While fiction might not be good for this list, another list of works of fiction that are historically accurate might be helpful. Often, I find straight history books to be so packed with details that they bog down and lose any sense of narrative.
Susanna wrote: "How is The Rape of Nanking about American history?"It's about Japan and China. Other than that, it's a great book about American history.
History has never been a strong point for me. I need to select a book relevant to the historical period either from Columbus through the Civil War, or Reconstruction to the end of the Cold War. So I was wondering if anyone could point out a few good books, I might be interested in. THANK YOU.
If you're looking for an easy-to-read but good non-fiction work, I recommend The Perils of Prosperity. It covers 1914-1932.
It's easy to add books to lists; at the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."
Manhunt is the best book about Lincoln's killer. Went to the Surratt House and the Dr Mudd Farm. Great
Lobstergirl wrote: "Deleted The Man in the High Castle - speculative/alternative history (fiction)."poster book is published to reader.
Hello, Mr./Mrs. ! how are you doing ? i would like reading a book too thus i am a supporter of reading book every day to find another acknowledges about this, actually, all of them are preferred reading them and wanna a writing some story of mine. that story is said about a life of mine surely. i will write some the meaning of story connecting to real life of mine was child, can be made a plan to refer to supporter. thanks you !
Removed a novel and 3 nonfiction books not about America.
Does Man Hunt (#75) belong on here? It appears to be historical fiction. (And aside from this list, the other lists it appears on are all for historical fiction.)
John wrote: "Although I'm reluctant to be critical of anyone who undertakes the kind of effort on display here, I can't resist commenting that any list of books on American History that includes Jesse Ventura's..."John, I'm assuming this list was not made up before for us to vote on, but is instead a list we make with our choices. If one person wants to put Jesse Ventura on his list--or Bill O'Reilly for that matter-let them do so. Such votes will be drowned out by less fringe opinions. Democracy, etc. etc.
Susanna wrote: "Does Man Hunt (#75) belong on here? It appears to be historical fiction. (And aside from this list, the other lists it appears on are all for historical fiction.)"Deleted.
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Anyone can add books to this list.
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To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes.
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That's the best American History book.