Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Much of what we know of the past three thousand years relies largely on the great historians of the millennia. Through excellent scholarship, tedious compilation, clear prose, and entertaining color commentary (sometime at the expense of accuracy), these historians and their famous works have shaped the western world’s ideas about its development. Though the bulk of historical scholarship is done by the hands of the many lesser known historians, some few have told the western world’s story in works of enduring fame. Here are a handful of historical works I think exceptional, with an eye toward breadth of the historical time periods covered as well as toward the era of the historian’s vantage point.
ABOUT THE CHANNEL
ThinkingWest: Great Books Explored revives the “Great Conversation” in our digital age through exploring the great books of the western world. We dive deep into the most influential books of all time, read short essays and letters from the greatest thinkers, and discuss timeless ideas that continue to shape our culture today.
ABOUT THINKINGWEST
ThinkingWest aims to revive the “Great Conversation” in our digital age through promoting the study of the great books of the western world, classical approaches to education, and through thoughtful commentary on current events, history, philosophy, culture, education, and religion.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
How to Read a Book, Mortimer Adler and Charles van Doren: amzn.to/3NOLCrm
How to Read and Why, Harold Bloom: amzn.to/3J69V0y
The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer: amzn.to/3LB5Djq
LINKS
Website: thinkingwest.com
Donate to support this work: thinkingwest.com/donate
Classic book lists: thinkingwest.com/book-lists
Relevant articles:
thinkingwest.com/2021/12/12/the-12-book-classical-education
thinkingwest.com/2022/10/17/12-great-books-of-western-history
Intro music produced by Adam Drakos.
#greatbooks #history #classicbooks
Much of what we know of the past three thousand years relies largely on the great historians of the millennia. Through excellent scholarship, tedious compilation, clear prose, and entertaining color commentary (sometime at the expense of accuracy), these historians and their famous works have shaped the western world’s ideas about its development. Though the bulk of historical scholarship is done by the hands of the many lesser known historians, some few have told the western world’s story in works of enduring fame. Here are a handful of historical works I think exceptional, with an eye toward breadth of the historical time periods covered as well as toward the era of the historian’s vantage point.
ABOUT THE CHANNEL
ThinkingWest: Great Books Explored revives the “Great Conversation” in our digital age through exploring the great books of the western world. We dive deep into the most influential books of all time, read short essays and letters from the greatest thinkers, and discuss timeless ideas that continue to shape our culture today.
ABOUT THINKINGWEST
ThinkingWest aims to revive the “Great Conversation” in our digital age through promoting the study of the great books of the western world, classical approaches to education, and through thoughtful commentary on current events, history, philosophy, culture, education, and religion.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
How to Read a Book, Mortimer Adler and Charles van Doren: amzn.to/3NOLCrm
How to Read and Why, Harold Bloom: amzn.to/3J69V0y
The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer: amzn.to/3LB5Djq
LINKS
Website: thinkingwest.com
Donate to support this work: thinkingwest.com/donate
Classic book lists: thinkingwest.com/book-lists
Relevant articles:
thinkingwest.com/2021/12/12/the-12-book-classical-education
thinkingwest.com/2022/10/17/12-great-books-of-western-history
Intro music produced by Adam Drakos.
#greatbooks #history #classicbooks
