Short History Of...
Book Recommendations

Short History Of...

History is full of the extraordinary. Each week, we'll transport you back in time to witness history's most incredible moments and remarkable people. New episodes Mondays, or a week early for Noiser+ subscribers. With Noiser+ you'll also get ad-free listening and exclusive content on shows...

Episodes 168
Books 84

Recently mentioned

Latest Recommendations

Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record cover

Chasing Jessop

Simon Wilde

Mentioned 7 months ago

The Ashes

This book, authored by cricket correspondent Simon Wilde, was mentioned in the context of the enduring Ashes contest and its history.

With thanks to Simon Wilde, cricket correspondent at the Sunday Times and author of "Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record"

Buy on Amazon
Home before morning: The story of an army nurse in Vietnam cover

Home before morning

Christopher Van Devanter, Lynn; Morgan

Mentioned 1 year ago

The Vietnam War

The speaker mentions interviewing many people in Vietnam and America who had strong opinions about the war and the death of Diem, believing the Americans were responsible for it and that it negatively impacted the war effort. The book was used as a source of information for the speaker's understanding of the Vietnam War.

I met many people when I was researching my book on Vietnam in Vietnam and in America in exile, who said whatever we thought of Diem and even though we knew he was corrupt, he was Vietnamese.

Buy on Amazon
The Earth Is All That Lasts: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and the Last Stand of the Great Sioux Nation cover

The Earth Is All That Lasts

Mark Lee Gardner

Mentioned 1 year ago

Sitting Bull

Mark Gardner, historian and author of 'The Earth is all that Lasts: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and the Last Stand of the Great Sioux Nation', discussed Sitting Bull's life in the 1830s, describing it as an idyllic existence for the Lakota people, with access to trade goods and a rich buffalo-hunting lifestyle.

The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain’s Greatest Dynasty cover

The Private Lives of the Tudors

Tracy Borman

Mentioned 1 year ago

Mary Queen of Scots

The podcast mentioned Tracy Borman, a historian and author, and her book, "The Private Lives of the Tudors", which was referenced in relation to the historical context surrounding Mary Queen of Scots.

Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the Kremlin cover

Red Fortress

Catherine Merridale

Mentioned 1 year ago

The Kremlin

It was described as having a lovely aesthetic beauty and was used for research by the author, who found it hard to believe she was in the middle of Moscow while inside due to the contrast in atmosphere.

Those limestone buildings, the Italian buildings are so lovely and the light is very beautiful.

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Killer in the Kremlin cover

Killer in the Kremlin

John Sweeney

Mentioned 1 year ago

The Kremlin

The author was inside the Kremlin walls for a meeting with Putin's PR man about the Alexander Litvinenko poisoning and noted how it felt like the centre of Russian power, and one might not be able to leave again.

You know I've been inside the Kremlin, I've been inside those great big red walls to actually have a one-to-one with Putin's PR man about the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

Buy on Amazon
Empires of the Normans: Conquerors of Europe cover

Empires of the Normans

Levi Roach

Mentioned 1 year ago

The Normans

It was mentioned that Professor Levi Roach is the author of this book. The book's title was used to support the podcast's discussion of the Normans and their influence across Europe.

Professor Levi Roach is the author of Empires of the Normans.

Buy on Amazon
Arctic Spectacles: The Frozen North in Visual Culture, 1818-1875 cover

Arctic Spectacles

Russell Alan Potter

Mentioned 1 year ago

The Northwest Passage

The author, a professor of English, discussed the early maps of the Arctic and how they depicted the area as more symmetrical than it actually was, impacting early explorers' understanding of the region.

If you look at the Mercator maps and some of the other maps of that era, the maps of the pole usually show like a pizza that's neatly divided into four pieces with open water of some kind between those.

Buy on Amazon
The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization cover

The Fall of Rome

Bryan Ward-Perkins

Mentioned 1 year ago

Constantinople

It was mentioned as a book written by Bryan Ward-Perkins, an Emeritus Professor of Late Antique History at the University of Oxford, related to the fall of Rome and the end of the Roman Empire.

The Games: A Global History of the Olympics cover

The Games

David Goldblatt

Mentioned 1 year ago

The Modern Olympics

It was mentioned as a global history of the Olympics, and the author was thanked for his insights into the history and evolution of the Olympic Games.

David Goldblatt is a sports writer and broadcaster and the author of The Games A Global History Of The Olympics.

Buy on Amazon
The Iliad cover

The Iliad

Homer

Mentioned 1 year ago

The Ancient Olympics

The Iliad was mentioned in relation to funeral games described by Homer, which included running, throwing, jumping, wrestling, and chariot and horse racing, potentially similar to the earliest Olympic Games.

The Odyssey cover

The Odyssey

Homer

Mentioned 1 year ago

The Ancient Olympics

The Odyssey was mentioned alongside The Iliad as works by Homer, with the latter describing funeral games that may have inspired the Ancient Olympics.

Most Recommended

Empires of the Normans: Conquerors of Europe Cover

Levi Roach

Empires of the Normans

Conquerors of Europe

It was mentioned that Professor Levi Roach is the author of this book. The book's title was used to support the podcast's discussion of the Normans and their influence across Europe.

"

Professor Levi Roach is the author of Empires of the Normans.

— Episode: The Normans

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Normans

It was mentioned that Professor Levi Roach is the author of this book. The book's title was used to support the podcast's discussion of the Normans and their influence across Europe.

"

Professor Levi Roach is the author of Empires of the Normans.

So the very name Normans comes from the medieval Northmen. And so this is a generic designation in the 8th and 9th centuries for Scandinavian freebooters who are coming across mainland Europe looking for cheap plunder, but also often for trading opportunities.

And what happens is that as the Vikings become more present in Europe and start making their influence felt in more manners, one way of dealing with Viking attacks comes to be to settle them in your own kingdom.

And so typically to set a thief to catch a thief. So the idea is if you have a Viking problem, get Viking allies. Give them a piece of your land, typically coastal land, so they'll have a vested interest in the future and keeping other Viking groups from attacking you.

And that's precisely what happens in the case of the group that we eventually come to know as the Normans.

Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record Cover

Simon Wilde

Chasing Jessop

The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record

This book, authored by cricket correspondent Simon Wilde, was mentioned in the context of the enduring Ashes contest and its history.

"

With thanks to Simon Wilde, cricket correspondent at the Sunday Times and author of "Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record"

— Episode: The Ashes

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Ashes

This book, authored by cricket correspondent Simon Wilde, was mentioned in the context of the enduring Ashes contest and its history.

"

With thanks to Simon Wilde, cricket correspondent at the Sunday Times and author of "Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record"

Simon Wilde is the cricket correspondent of the Sunday Times and author of Chasing Jessop, the mystery of England cricket's oldest record.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.