Good history book?

Question

My brother is in college-majoring in history. I want to get him a good history book for Christmas. Any ideas? Thanks

Answer 1

The VAlley of the Dolls: A History of AMERICA dURING THE '60S

Answer 2

I'd suggest the last thing he wants NOW is another history book.

If he is majoring in history he likely has many assigned books about history and doesn't really have time for another one.

However, if you're determine to get him one looking for one that is simply a timeline book would be good. By this I mean a book that shows a line with various periods in history that shows major events from around the world that were happening at the same time.

This would be a helpful reference so he could compare things he is learning against other events at that time.

Due to my interest in history I was once given the book:
The Timetables of History ISB 0-671-74919-6
Which is a good example of what I mean.

Not sure if it is still in print.
The following link gives information that may be helpful:
http://www.justbooks.co.uk/dir/i/The_Timetables_Of_History-A_Historical_Linkage_Of_People_And_Events/0671749196/

Answer 3

You don't say in which areas of history your brother is interested--European or Asian, social or political, etc. I'd suggest that you go to your public library, ask where the NEW books are, and check the ones in history. They will have a call number in the 900s.

Answer 4

"Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist" by Bradley Steffens. It tells the fascinating, true story of a medieval Muslim scholar who overcame bouts of mental illness to develop the scientific method two hundred years before the Europeans learned of it--by reading his books.

Born in what is now Iraq in 965, Ibn al-Haytham studied theology, trying to resolve the differences between the Shi'ah and Sunnah sects. He turned his attention to the works of the ancient Greek philosophers and mathematicians. He was the first person to apply algebra to geometry, founding analytic geometry. He traveled to Egypt to build a dam on the Nile, failed, and ended up imprisoned in Cairo for ten years. During this time he began systematically testing hypotheses with experiments, the core of the scientific method.

You can find reviews of the book and a sample chapter at http://www.ibnalhaytham.net/

Answer 5

World History by Duiker-Spielvogel (the spelling's probably off, since it was years back when I actually studied this text). An excellent textbook, although, the information may be a bit basic if your brother is in a higher level in college. (This is probably geared toward freshman and sophomores in college.)

Answer 6

The New Penguin History of the World: Fourth Edition

It starts with the "Beginning of man and ends with now" very good read without getting too deep on any one area.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Penguin-History-World-Fourth/dp/0141007230/ref=sr_1_45?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197038415&sr=1-45

Good luck.

Answer 7

One Night Stands With American History. It has a lot of little-known facts about th U.S. -- it's really funny and entertaining.

Answer 8

Dictionary in English_? to learn another language maybe?