26 Best History Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 26 best history books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best History books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best history books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
26 Best History Books
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Fates of Human Societies
Also recommended by
12 people
Joe Rogan recommended this bookJoe Rogan
"An amazing book." - Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"Fascinating.... Lays a foundation for understanding human history." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Charlie Munger recommended this bookCharlie Munger
Charlie Munger recommended this book in the "Poor Charlie's Almanack" book.
Charlie Munger's recommendation of this book 
Simon Sinek recommended this bookSimon Sinek
"Offers us a new and remarkably simple way of looking at our world." - Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek's recommendation of this book 
Daniel Ek recommended this bookDaniel Ek
"A brilliant Pulitzer Prize-winning book about how the modern world was formed, analyzing how societies developed differently on different continents." - Daniel Ek
Daniel Ek's recommendation of this book 
Jesse Williams recommended this bookJesse Williams
"Helped rid me of the nagging incompleteness in my understood connection between the successes and failings of ancient and modern civilizations." - Jesse Williams
Jesse Williams's recommendation of this book +6
More recommendations
- Stewart Brand
"The main [book by this author]." - Stewart Brand
- Patrick Arnold
"Gave a big eye opening on why certain people of the world are more advanced than others and behave a certain way, as opposed to just genetics and this person is smarter because of this or that." - Patrick Arnold
- Jamie Dimon
On Jamie Dimon's list of favorite books.
- Margaret Atwood
"Also does pandemics." - Margaret Atwood
- Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
- James Clear
"[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time." - James Clear
- Stewart Brand
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
Also recommended by
5 people
Tim Ferriss recommended this bookTim Ferriss
"Has been recommended to me by several billionaires." - Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss's recommendation of this book 
Ben Horowitz recommended this bookBen Horowitz
"Unexpectedly the most interesting book on the topic of how you think about inclusion." - Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz's recommendation of this book 
Lisa Ling recommended this bookLisa Ling
"Genghis Khan was a great democratizer. His Mongol Empire conquered more territory in 25 years than the Romans did in 200." - Lisa Ling
Lisa Ling's recommendation of this book 
Daymond John recommended this bookDaymond John
One of Daymond John's answers to "most-gifted or recommeded books?"
Daymond John's recommendation of this book 
Austen Allred recommended this bookAusten Allred
"Probably in my top five all-time." - Austen Allred
Austen Allred's recommendation of this book
1491
New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Also recommended by
2 people
Margaret Atwood recommended this bookMargaret Atwood
"About what the Americas were like before (and during) the wipeout caused by European microbes + viruses." - Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood's recommendation of this book 
John Leguizamo recommended this bookJohn Leguizamo
"Every Latinx should read!" - John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo's recommendation of this book
The Guns of August
The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I
Also recommended by
1 person
Doris Kearns Goodwin recommended this bookDoris Kearns Goodwin
"So beautifully written. But more importantly, for me, she was writing about battles and military stuff and things that you don’t imagine that sometimes a woman might be so adept at." - Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin's recommendation of this book
The Crusades
The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
A People's History of the United States
Also recommended by
4 people
Alex Honnold recommended this bookAlex Honnold
"Totally changed the way I look at politics." - Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold's recommendation of this book - Lisa Ling recommended this book
Lisa Ling
"I credit this book with propelling me to dig deeper, and to not always believe the narrative." - Lisa Ling
Lisa Ling's recommendation of this book 
Howard Stern recommended this bookHoward Stern
"Something I should have read in college." - Howard Stern
Howard Stern's recommendation of this book - John Leguizamo recommended this book
John Leguizamo
"Every Latinx should read!" - John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo's recommendation of this book
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Also recommended by
3 people
Elon Musk recommended this bookElon Musk
"[The author]'s famous book." - Elon Musk
Elon Musk's recommendation of this book 
Mahatma Gandhi recommended this bookMahatma Gandhi
"Portrays a mass of facts in his own imitable style." - Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi's recommendation of this book 
Stewart Brand recommended this bookStewart Brand
Stewart Brand recommended this book on his "Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization" blog post.
Stewart Brand's recommendation of this book
Grant
Also recommended by
2 people
Barack Obama recommended this bookBarack Obama
Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list.
Barack Obama's recommendation of this book 
Hugh Hewitt recommended this bookHugh Hewitt
"It’s hard to turn off and I’ve read wat, dozens of civil war books, but never with a focus on this hero of heroes." - Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt's recommendation of this book
Orientalism
Also recommended by
2 people
Christopher Hitchens recommended this bookChristopher Hitchens
"A book that made one think." - Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book 
Brad Delong recommended this bookBrad Delong
Brad Delong recommended this book in his website.
Brad Delong's recommendation of this book
Postwar
A History of Europe Since 1945
Also recommended by
1 person
Ta-Nehisi Coates recommended this bookTa-Nehisi Coates
"[The author understood history] does not exist to comfort us." - Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates's recommendation of this book
Say Nothing
A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Also recommended by
1 person- Barack Obama recommended this book
Barack Obama
Barack Obama's favorite books of 2019 list.
Barack Obama's recommendation of this book
What Is History?
Also recommended by
1 person- Christopher Hitchens recommended this book
Christopher Hitchens
"Brilliant." - Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book
1776
A History of the American People
Appeasement
Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War
Broken Lives
How Ordinary Germans Experienced the 20th Century
Caesar and Christ
The Story of Civilization, Book 3
Churchill
A Life
Democracy
A Life
Embracing Defeat
Japan in the Wake of World War II
Leningrad
Open Veins of Latin America
Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent
SPQR
A History of Ancient Rome
Stalin's Englishman
Guy Burgess, the Cold War, and the Cambridge Spy Ring
The Communist Manifesto
The History of the Ancient World
From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
Sources
- 1
15 Best History Books Of All Time – History Adventures
historyadventures.co
- 2
The best history books
abebooks.com
- 3
45 Best History Books of All Time | Reedsy Discovery
reedsy.com
- 4
The 100 Best History Books of All Time - Listmuse.com
listmuse.com
- 5
Best History Books Of All Time: 12 Essential Reads On Western Civilization - Forbes Vetted
forbes.com
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts