everything:
the cartoon history of the universe-larry gonick:
just an incredible series, starting with the big bang and going to the present in five books. the format is great and the amount of info is ridiculous. great for either beginners or people who already appreciate history
will durant (+ariel for some)-
the story of civilization:
truly epic series that covers history up to the time of napoleon. the number of volumes and their length may seem intimidating, but all of the books in the series are eminently readable and enjoyable on their own merits (the earlier ones slight more so).
WWII
the rise and fall of the third reich-mentioned by an earlier poster, but have to re-emphasize it. just an incredible book. outdated and inaccurate to be sure, but also completely indispensable.
winston churchill-
the second world war:
has a ton of flaws and failings, but quite comprehensive (when it comes to the parts of the war the UK was involved in that is!) and provides pretty good insight into churchill's own views (if you read between the lines at least)
wwi
dreadnought-robert massie:
pretty long, but you will not be able to put it down. the story of how germany and britain became enemies. narrow and broad in scope at the same time
niall ferguson-
the pity of war:
actually no, don't read this. niall ferguson is a scumbag and this book is incredibly awful.
china
jonathan spence-
the search for modern china:
a rather pessimistic look at the last 400 years or so of chinese history; indispensable and troubling. 20th century covered a bit weakly perhaps.
michael nylan+thomas wilson-
the lives of confucius:
a nice short look at a very famous and very misunderstood historical figure. maybe hard to understand at times, but also very funny and enjoyable.
"africa"
adam hochschild-
king leopold's ghost:
i would call this more of a history thriller tragedy than anything else. an incisive look at the twin evils of colonialism and personal rule.
japan
the making of modern japan-thorough look at the development of japan over the last 400 years. not very exciting, but very informative.
europe:
tony judt-
postwar:
already mentioned, you should definitely read this.
paul kennedy-
the rise and fall of the great powers:
has lots of interesting info and provides great insight into the western view of japan at the time. the "cunning japanese" are on the rise!
A bit hardcore but it's fun. New historians, while maybe better at actually being historians, tend to be fairly clinical in their writing. I know that's how it has been ground into me during my University years. Old historians, as bias and self-serving as many of them were, feel much more like stories.
yeah, this is true even when you look at things more recently. when you look at the development of the historiography of a certain subject, you often find yourself starting with exciting books and ending with dry ones.
