Scholarly Must-Reads: Part 6

They say that everything has happened before thus studying history would help to prevent repeating the same mistakes or just borrow some wisdom from ancestors. Also, knowing history helps people to know their roots and increase the feeling of belonging. This week, the Concordian gives our readers a glimpse into favorite books of Concord University history professors in hope to increase love for history. 

Joseph Manzione, Professor of History.

    1.    John King Fairbank. The Great Chinese Revolution 1800-1985. “You want to know more about Mr. Trump’s “Jina”? Here’s an older but solid overview, in a flowing, readable form.”

    2.    Paul Boyer, By The Bomb’s Early Light: American Thought And Culture At The Dawn Of The Atomic Age. “One of the few books that successfully shows how national security policies and American foreign relations can directly affect American culture, values, attitudes, and beliefs.”

    3.    Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum. “A challenging mystery novel that centers on the differences between the humanities and superstition, science and the occult, and history and tall tales. Good intricate plot; international setting; keeps you constantly guessing.”

Richard Lilly, Instructor of History.

    1.    Andrew Roberts. Napoleon: A Life. “Roberts’ biography of Napoleon demonstrates everything that is great about a biography.  Napoleon has been the subject of so many good and poor books, but Roberts truly covers the panorama of an astounding and controversial life.  This work also demonstrates how historians benefit from the discovery of new sources.  Roberts was able to access an array documents never used by a previous biographer.”

    2.    George Herring. From Colony to Superpower:  U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776. “A part of the excellent Oxford History of the United States series.  Herring takes an in depth look at the history of American diplomacy since the American Revolution.  While utilizing traditional diplomatic history, Herring also seeks to place American diplomacy with the proper domestic political and social contexts of the United States, which makes this in my view an essential work.”

    3.    John Ferling. Jefferson and Hamilton:  The Rivalry that Forged a Nation. “Without doubt, Ferling offers a striking and readable portrait of the rivalry between these two founding fathers.  Ferling understands the significance of the differences between Jefferson and Hamilton, which is that political discourse in American history often reflects their differences.  Americans to some degree have always argued about the nature of the Constitution and Federalism along similar lines as these two giants in Washington’s cabinet.” 

Jonathan Berkey. Associate Professor of History.

    1.    Bruce Catton. A Stillness at Appomattox.  “If you talk to almost any Civil War historian of my generation, he or she will probably mention Bruce Catton as one of the authors who sparked his or her interest in the war.  This book is the final volume of a trilogy he wrote on the history of the Army of the Potomac.  Catton wrote in a compelling style, and this volume captures the drama and tragedy of the final year of the Civil War.”

    2.    Jill Lepore. The Name of War: King Philip’s War and the Origins of American Identity. “This book offers a remarkable interpretation of how wars are waged on the battlefield and through the medium of language.  Lepore analyzes King Philip’s War, a little-known but extremely bloody colonial war, to show its effects on American identity well into the nineteenth century.  It is simply the best history book I have ever read (so far!).”

    3.    Joseph Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces.  “While it is not a traditional history book like my other two choices, Campbell’s work has had a great influence on me.  I first read it as an undergraduate, and had the pleasure of teaching it in an Honors Program course at Concord a few years ago.  The book discusses the power that myth and storytelling have to reveal the commonalities of different cultures in their quest to make sense of the human condition.”