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I had an idea the other day that a lot of us here probably have very impressive personal libraries that cover a lot of subjects, and that it might be useful for some of us to know what information people have on hand. So I checked in with Thanas, got his approval and am posting this thread. It's a selection from my library of some of the better and/or more focused books. Where I can I provide a brief summary or criticism of the book:


Roman History
Blacks in Antiquity by Frank Snowden

The Archaeology of the Roman Economy by Kevin Greene
A rather good overview of the archaeological evidence of the Roman Economy. Has some really interesting things about Roman Maritime trade, Roman agriculture and the climate during the Roman empire.

A Critical History of Early Rome by Gary Forsythe
A decent, if overly critical, history of the Roman Republic from its founding to the beginning of the first Punic War. A rather good book overall, and I recommend reading it for anyone interested in the time period.

Roman Colonization under the Republic by H. H. Scullard
A really well written overview and explanation of the Roman Colonization process during the Republic by my favorite historian. A fantastically invaluable resource for anyone interested in how the Roman Republic worked, spread and more.

Religions of the Roman Empire by John Ferguson

Cults of the Roman Empire by Robert Turcan

Christians and the Roman Empire by Marta Sordi

Japan

Zen at War by Brian Victoria
A overview of Buddhist monks during 19th century Japan and how their militancy and nationalism effected the nation. Very fascinating work.

Britain
The Command of the Ocean by N. A. M. Rodger
By far the best history of the British Navy, dating from the beginning of the commonwealth to the end of the Napoleonic wars. Filled with information on everything about the Navy, including operational, cultural, logistical histories and more. Also, wonderful graphs detailing pay grades, ship counts and much more.

World War II

How War Came by Donald Cameron Watt
A very thorough, well explained and very well thought out telling of the events of 1938-1939, what caused them, what they caused, and the deeper reasons that took place. Very useful, and very nice.

France Under the Germans by Philippe Burrin
Pretty much what the name promises.

Victory Through Air Power by Alexander de Seversky
A book written in 1942 talking about how the only way World War II was through superior application of Air Power. A very fascinating read.

American History

Letters of Centinel
A collection of letters written to newspapers arguing against the ratification of the Constitution. Very fascinating stuff.

Some Of It Was Fun by Nicholas De. Katzenbach
A memoir written by Robert Kennedy's top deputy in the Justice Department who later became LBJ's Attorney General. A very fascinating book which offers in depth behind the scenes description of the civil rights legislation of the time, amongst other things. Also offers a very detailed picture of what the Kennedys were like, as well as what LBJ was like.

Way We Never Were by Stephanie Coontsz
A social history which takes America's ever-present nostalgia for the "good old days" and kicks it in the teeth. Over and over and over again. Well argued, well sourced and very interesting, especially when it comes to the Nuclear Family and family structure.

None Dare Call it Treason by John A Stormer
A book from 1964, written by an angry right winger declaring everything the left does to be influenced by godless heathen communism, pansy peace-loving UN worshipers, and a variety of other deranged and megalomaniac groups. Good stuff.

Warlords of Washington by Bruce Cotton
Written in 1946, this is a book which argues that vested corporate interests in the military/defense industry control Washington and shape its present and future. This book and the last one are two of my favorite books in my "Things Never Change" section.

Middle East

All Fall Down by Gary Sick
A history of the Iranian Revolution written by one of Jimmy Carter's NSA advisers. A bit self-serving and biased, but well argued and useful in understanding the White House's perspective on the revolution and hostage crisis.

Twin Pillars to Desert Storm by Howard Teicher
Howard Teicher served in the State Department, Department of Defense and the NSC during his time in government employ from 1978-1986. He was a mid-East specialist and has a command of Middle Eastern history, culture and politics I have never seen in anyone else. Twin Pillars to Desert Storm is half history of American Middle East policy and half memoir of his term of service, which ended with Iran-Contra when he was thrown out of office by an angry senate, and abandoned by the President whom he served after it came to light that Teicher was on the plane to Tehran. A great read, one of my favorites in my collection.

The Life and Times of the Shah by Gholam Reza Afkhami
An attempt to write a biography of the Shah that failed, but turned out being a fantastic history of Iran's government and personalities in the Pahlavi era. Probably the most thorough discussion of Iranian history in the past ten years.

Iran, Iraq and the Legacies of War edited by Gary Sick
A collection of essays on the Iran-Iraq war and its aftermath over the past twenty years.

Mormons

Statements of the LDS First Presidency
A collection of quotes from the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Very nice to use as a resource to find out what the Church actually believes, and its policy stance on certain thorny issues.

Mormon Polygamy by Richard S. Van Wagoner
A good general history of Mormon Polygamy.

Nauvoo Polygamy by George D. Smith
A very in-depth and detailed history of the early days of Mormon Polygamy in the 1840s in Nauvoo, Illinois. Goes into deep detail about Joseph Smith's wives, family life, and proclamations on the subject.

Roughly organised:

Bomber Command: it's always been an interest and I'm writing my honours thesis on it, so...

Bomber Command - Max Hastings. A work that's showing its age, and Hastings isn't known for his scholarly approach. Still worth a read, though.

Flying Backwards - Geoffrey Williams. Locally published memoirs of an Australian rear gunner in 514 Squadron.

Chased By The Sun - Hank Nelson. Only existing work outside the official histories that look exclusively at Australians within Bomber Command.

Journeys Into Night - Don Charlwood. A more expansive treatment of his service than the previous No Moon Tonight.

Flak and Barbed Wire - Gordon Stooke. Australian pilot in 460 Squadron who was shot down, sheltered by the Underground and then betrayed to the Gestapo.

Flying Into The Mouth of Hell - Laurie Wood. Australian in 460 Squadron who completed a tour.

The Bomber War - Robin Neillands. Reasonable treatment of the strategic air war with a particular emphasis on oral sources.

Cheshire VC - Russell Braddon. Boys Own (actually that's probably a bit harsh, but you get the idea) biography of Bomber Command's second-most famous member.

Napoleon(ic):

1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow - Adam Zamoyski. Pretty good treatment of the 1812 campaign.

The War For All The Oceans - Roy and Lesley Adams. General history for what you might call the O'Brien market, albeit more wide ranging and detailed than most.

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte - Robert Asprey. Haven't done more than glance at it, TBH.

The Peninsular War 1807-1814 - Michael Glover. Tight history of the British campaigns on the Peninsular.

The Spanish Ulcer - David Gates. Pretty expansive work on the whole conflict in Spain.

The Fall of Napoleon - Michael V. Leggiere. Not so much a history book as a verbatim regurgitation of source material. Immensely detailed look at the campaigns of 1813-1814 in France.

Will edit in more when I have the time/can be bothered.

Near East/India/Central Asia/Great Game

The Ottoman Centuries Lord Kinross – From Osman I through Mehmed VI’s exile by Kemal Ataturk, very readable broad-strokes political, social and economic history with a lot of interesting individual color regarding the players involved.

The Sufis Idries Shah – Sufi history and philosophy with less an emphasis upon inner mysteries and more upon day-to-day influence of Sufi philosophy and possibly that of well-placed Sufi disciples in the East and West.

The Road to Mecca Muhammad Asad – A first-hand account of travel through Europe, the Near East and the Arabian peninsula in the pre-WWII era by a Central European convert to Islam.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World Weatherford – Actually spends more time on the Khan’s successors, but a nice overview of history that doesn’t seem to get taught or discussed very much despite its lasting influence.

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia Peter Hopkirk – Victorian England versus Tsarist Russia for control of Central Asia. I like Hopkirk’s writing style; he’s got a fine eye for details to include vs. details to omit. Some of it reads like news from the 1980s. Or the early 2000’s.

Like Hidden Fire: The Plot to Bring Down the British Empire Peter Hopkirk – Wilhemine Germany’s efforts to suborn an Islamic insurrection in British Central Asia plus the Ottoman Empire and Persia to make life difficult for the British. Very educational regarding the impact of events in Russian-controlled Central Asia upon the course of the October Revolution.

Setting the East Ablaze: Lenin’s Dream of an Empire in Asia Peter Hopkirk – Reads like a spy novel. The Bolsheviks picked up Tsarist ambitions in Central Asia and ran with them, against mainly British opposition. Like most of Hopkirk’s books, extensively footnoted and referenced.

Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India Lawrence James – From Clive’s arrival to Mountbatten’s departure, a detailed review of British intrigues, domestic Indian politics and a nicely un-romanticized view of the development of the Raj. Provides interesting information on the British perceptions of their possession, too.

The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity Tariq Ali – Where this is interesting as history is Ali’s descriptions of his experiences during the partition of India. Since he’s lean on footnotes and sources, maybe this is less history than Ali’s particular perspective upon it. Still an interesting read, even if his views of the west tend toward the cartoonish.

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom T.E. Lawrence – Lawrence’s memoir of his time spent organizing the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. The movie unsurprisingly leaves out a great deal of the content of the book; get a first edition if you can find one, it’s got the best maps and illustrations.

A Short History of Byzantium John Julius Norwich – This condenses a three-volume work by the same author. The text manages to hit the high points of state policy and action while crammed full of details of leading personalities and the flavor of the day-to-day life of the Empire. Plus, it’s written with a sense of humor. Highly recommended, unless you have time and interest to tread the original three-volume set.

The Byzantine Empire Browning – More focused upon art and culture and less upon military exploits than Norwich’s text. The two complement each other rather well.

The Middle East Bernard Lewis – Primarily written with an ‘understand the past to understand the present’ perspective. What’s most interesting are the arguments (and support) presented suggesting that modern-day notions of continuity of culture, religion, identity and territory are mostly just convenient bullshit. A bit of a slog to read in places, but worth it.

Freemasonry

Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry Waite and McLoughlin – The name tells all. A little stilted and academic, but there is a lot of interesting information there. Some of it might even be accurate.

The Hiram Key Knight and Lomas – History shading into conspiracy theory. An effort to demonstrate an indebtedness by modern Masonic ritual forms to ancient Egyptian funereal rites and the Hyksos invasions. The concept is kind of out there but the book is sufficiently well-constructed that it’s an interesting read even if you don’t buy into the premise.

Freemasonry: Symbols, Secrets and Significance McNulty – A very nice picture-book with detailed (sometimes multiple) exegeses on the sources and meanings of Freemasonic symbols and rituals.

Duncan's Ritual of Freemasonry Duncan – See above, only not really as well-done.

War/Espionage Histories

The Guns of August Tuchman – The first month of WWI, but more important the political and social forces that underpinned it. I was most impressed by the description of large numbers of intelligent people with the best of intentions planning their way into Europe’s most catastrophic war to date.

A Distant Mirror Tuchman – If you ever get the idea that you would have liked living in 14th century Europe, this book should just about break you of the notion. Tuchman employs a historic nobleman as device to create a point of view through which to describe the time.

The Proud Tower Tuchman – Probably this ought to be read before ‘The Guns of August;’ an examination of the broad societal forces in the twenty years or so leading up to WWI. I came away from it with a feeling of gratitude that the societies described are so thoroughly dead and gone.

A Short History of World War I Stokesbury – Sort of a this-happened-followed-by-that-happening-and-then-here’s-what-took-place approach. Readable for names, places, and dates, but not very deep in terms of underlying causes and effects.

The Korean War: From Pusan to Chosin Knox – Assembled from individual first-hand reports and interviews, starting with the North Korean assault in 1950. The first third of the book is particularly harrowing: American and allied troops shoved into the fight with no particular degree of organization or unified command.

Vietnam: A History Karnow – Starts early, with the French deposition of the BaoDai, and continues as a very detailed and balanced accounting, from there. Karnow’s description of Diem’s sellout by Kennedy is particularly striking.

Seven Firefights in Vietnam Albright and Sandstrom – First-hand accounts and post-battle analysis by surviving participants (all on the allied side). Interesting for a bit more grasp of the war’s effects at an individual level.

The Los Banos Raid Flanagan – Account of a raid to free prisoners in a Japanese camp in the Phillippines in 1945 by the US 11th Airborne and allied Filipino guerillas.

From the Shadows Gates – Former CIA top spookster tells presumably declassified tales. Interesting maybe-true behind-the-scenes color, but mostly interesting in a sort of mea-culpa way where Gates describes the mistrust sown by the agency itself in the minds of US citizens and legislators.

The Lady Be Good McClendon – There are newer works on the subject; I think this was the first book published about the disappearance and later discovery of a B-24 gone missing from a WWII bombing mission, then being found nine years later in the depths of the Libyan desert and the probable fate of her crew.

Day of Infamy Holt – Written too close upon the events of 12/07/1941 to pass for anything resembling objective. More a historical curio than a historical text.

History of Naval Operations in World War II (Vol. I-IV) Morison – Drier than three-day-old turkey breast. Names, places, figures but no narrative putting them together save what you bring yourself. A good research source, but not much of a read.

Exploration

Over the Edge of the World Bergreen – Magellan’s circumnavigation, the most enjoyable book on the subject I have read. More focus upon the personalities involved – a crucial aspect of the mission – than other texts I have read on the subject.

The Discoverers Boorstin – A history not so much of science but of the process of investigation and discovery that evolved into science. It’s kind of a book about learning to think. Fascinating.

The Creators Boorstin – Art and creative history, this time. Interesting and engaging but I preferred ‘The Discoverers.’

The Seekers Boorstin – And on to philosophy. It’s accessible and well-written but (to me) lacks the fire of ‘The Discoverers.’

European Society, Etc

A World Lit only by Fire Manchester – It’s almost pythonesque; the way you identify a king in this book is by the fact that he hasn’t got shit all over him. It’s actually a very readable overview of medieval-to-early-renaissance culture, society and mores but people looking for heavy-duty academic firepower might be disappointed. For history-hobbyists and people casually interested in the period, though, it would be a darned good read.

...and a bunch more, including shelves' worth of art & architectural history that probably aren't relevant. Most books are presently in stacks on the living room floor. Wife decided it was time to rearrange the furniture...

People, when I gave Straha the go-ahead to post this, I did not have every poster just posting long lists of his books in mind.

So unless people actually bother to give at least a quick summary of the book and sort it in general categories, this thread will get locked and disappear real fast.