18 Best World History Books
We analyzed 4+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 18 best world 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 World History books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best world history books" and study the top 4+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
18 Best World History Books
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The Silk Roads
A New History of the World
Also recommended by
1 person
Raoul Pal recommended this bookRaoul Pal
"An amazing book." - Raoul Pal
Raoul Pal's recommendation of this book
Salt
A World History
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
The Lessons of History
Also recommended by
8 people
Ray Dalio recommended this bookRay Dalio
"This is the Durants. They were maybe the greatest historians of all time." - Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio's recommendation of this book 
Naval Ravikant recommended this bookNaval Ravikant
"A fantastic book." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book 
Tim Ferriss recommended this bookTim Ferriss
"It’s excellent." - Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss's recommendation of this book 
Kevin Systrom recommended this bookKevin Systrom
"A great book." - Kevin Systrom
Kevin Systrom's recommendation of this book 
Shane Parrish recommended this bookShane Parrish
"I’ll be re-reading this a few times." - Shane Parrish
Shane Parrish's recommendation of this book 
Mark Manson recommended this bookMark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
Mark Manson's recommendation of this book +2
More recommendations
- James Clear
"[One of] the 10 books with the most page-for-page wisdom." - James Clear
- Lyn Alden
"One of the most important books for long-term investors to read." - Lyn Alden
- James Clear
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
Ordinary Men
Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
Also recommended by
2 people
Jocko Willink recommended this bookJocko Willink
Jocko Willink covered this book in "Jocko Podcast" Ep. 85
Jocko Willink's recommendation of this book 
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
"The best book of its type." - Jordan Peterson
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book
The Ascent of Money
A Financial History of the World
Also recommended by
2 people
Max Levchin recommended this bookMax Levchin
One of Max Levchin's answers to "what's your favourite business book you'd advise to young entrepreneurs?"
Max Levchin's recommendation of this book 
Fareed Zakaria recommended this bookFareed Zakaria
"Fascinating." - Fareed Zakaria
Fareed Zakaria's recommendation of this book
1759
The Year Britain Became Master of the World
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
A World History of Photography
History of the World Map by Map
SPQR
A History of Ancient Rome
The History of the Ancient World
From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
The Last Days of the Incas
The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes
The Ancient World Economy & the Empires of Parthia, Central Asia & Han China
The War That Ended Peace
The Road to 1914
Timelines of History
The Ultimate Visual Guide to the Events That Shaped the World
World History
From the Ancient World to the Information Age
Sources
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.
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