The Discovery of Britain: An Accidental History (Graham Robb)

Graham Robb’s The Discovery of Britain: An Accidental History explores some of the deeper history of British geography and the nation itself. Robb challenges familiar narratives of Britain as a nation shaped primarily by Roman roads and later political boundaries. Instead he reconstructs an ancient world that once thrived across what is now England, Scotland, and Wales, revealing a sophisticated Celtic civilization that carefully mapped and measured its terrain.

Robb argues that prehistoric Britons possessed advanced geographical knowledge long before Roman occupation. Through field research and historical detective work, he traces these geographical alignments and boundaries across hills, rivers, and settlements. Very few boundaries in Britain are based on boundaries and roads established in Roman times, with a mix of eras and influences creating what ultimately became today’s geographic landscape of Britain.

Robb’s historical travel narrative is effective, clear, and narrated more like a series of stories than a hard dissertation. Occasionally, Robb ventures into the modern era politics and weaves in discussions on issues that affect Britain. However, Robb artfully uses several arguments from throughout the book to help shape how modern decisions, such as the vote for Brexit and the current issues regarding immigration in the UK, were made.  The Discovery of Britain reshapes how we imagine the origins of British identity and its relationship to the land itself.

MY RATING: 4

George Templeton Strong: Civil War Diaries (George Templeton Strong and Geoff Wisner)

George Templeton Strong was a 19th Century lawyer and civic leader in New York City, helping to start the Union League’s New York social club in 1863. He is known among historians for his vivid diary of his day-to-day life and the events of the mid-19th Century, particularly the Civil War in and around New York. His diary totalled over 2,250 pages by the time he passed away in 1875. Strong’s diaries were originally published in a four volume set in 1952. Geoff Wisner has curated and edited a substantial portion of Strong’s diary into a collection called George Templeton Strong: Civil War Diaries. 

Fans of Ken Burns will recall excerpts of Strong’s diary narrated by George Plimpton in The Civil War. Those excerpts, and another 750 pages worth of diary, are pulled together into a vivid retelling of daily life in New York City during the Civil War. Strong’s support for the Union, for Lincoln, and his disdain of Copperheads oozes out through the pages of the book. The diary adds detail in seeing how rumors of events during the Civil War would spread quickly, oftentimes not accurately. Given it is a diary from the 19th Century, the less savory elements of the time (racism, anti-ethnic bias) are evident in various entries.

Strong’s diaries are presented largely “as is,” with limited editing, except to remove items that were not germane to the War or family life at the time. This collection is a vivid retelling of life in the North during the Civil War through the eyes of one leading social figure.

MY RATING: 4.5

Blood and Treasure: The Economics of Conflict from the Vikings to the Modern Era (Duncan Weldon)

Duncan Weldon’s Blood and Treasure: The Economics of Conflict from the Vikings to the Modern Era is a historic study of how economic forces shape conflict and state power. Weldon talks about the evolution of warfare from an economic perspective, from the ability to raise your money and manage your debts better than your foe to how warfare turned into an economic negative due to the evolution of war itself into a more violent, scorched earth style struggle. 

Weldon highlights over a dozen examples of economics and war, starting with the Vikings in the Middle Ages and continuing through the modern Russian conflicts with Ukraine. Each of these examples offer case studies that show why some states could fight longer and recover faster than rivals and how some states were better positioned going into conflict than others. Weldon artfully articulates in one part of the book that not all American dollars were equal at one time and also that the North’s ability to nationalize the dollar during the Civil War gave it a significant economic advantage over the South. 

The vast majority of the book is written with European examples. Genghis Khan does earn a chapter, as does colonial India in the 19th Century under the control of the British East India Company. However, much of the book is European or American in focus. That said, the context and history of war and economics over time is valuable as a way to gain understanding of how finance and power interact. Students of economic history and politics will find Blood and Treasure an enjoyable read.

MY RATING: 4

Conquering the North (John Man)

John Man’s Conquering The North: China, Russia, Mongolia, 2,000 Years of Conflict is a compelling and richly detailed study of the historical conflict over the Mongolian Steppe, fought between the Mongol people, Russia, and China. Man’s historical book focuses on the frontier zones that shaped empires, identities, and power over many centuries. His book brings clarity and attention to a region that is often overlooked in popular history, showing how geography, culture, and strategy combined to define the fate of not just these three nations but arguably the entire world.

The book traces the long contest between sedentary Chinese states and the nomadic peoples of the north, particularly the Mongols, whose mobility and military skill repeatedly reshaped the balance of power. Man explains how the rise of the Mongol Empire transformed Eurasia, and how Chinese dynasties sought to defend themselves through walls, diplomacy, and cultural assimilation. The emergence of Russia as a northern imperial force in the 17th Century adds a further layer, creating a three sided-struggle marked by shifting alliances.

Although the subject is complex, Man maintains momentum and coherence throughout. Conquering The North succeeds as both a history of power politics and a study of how frontiers shape world history and can change. It offers valuable insight into forces that continue to influence relations in the region today.

MY RATING: 4.5

1968: The Year the World Shook (Alexander Bloom)

In 1968: The Year The World Shook, author Alexander Bloom studies a year when protest, cultural change, and political conflict seemed to erupt across the globe simultaneously. The book argues that events in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia were not isolated crises but parts of a shared historical mood and generational shift. Bloom guides readers through student uprisings, civil rights struggles, anti-war demonstrations, and challenges to established authority, showing how many had hoped that rapid change was possible.

Bloom connects the fights for racial justice and against the Vietnam War in the United States with student uprisings in Paris and Mexico City, as well as the resistance to authoritarian rule in Czechoslovakia and elsewhere. By placing these stories side by side, the author highlights how media, music, and youth culture helped spread a sense of rebellion. While these events occurred in 1968, Bloom provides important context to show that the beginning of protests, and subsequent counter-protests from the establishment, were years in the making.

Overall, the book offers a concise and engaging introduction to a remarkable year in modern history, one that was more consequential for the course of the modern world than any since 1945. It’s accessible for general readers, yet thoughtful enough for students of history and politics. Bloom shows why the debates of that year still shape public life today in many societies worldwide.

MY RATING: 4

El Generalisimo (Giles Tremlett)

Giles Tremlett’s El Generalísimo is a well-researched biography of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, explaining his rise from an unremarkable military officer to one of Europe’s longest ruling dictators.

Franco was an enigma to some degree - fascist by many definitions, at minimum a nationalist dictator that fused a strong religious dogma within state convention. Spain struggled to recover from its Civil War in the 1930’s, mostly because of Franco’s policies, until a monetary bailout plus increasing affluence in Europe helped drive tourism and exports, almost both by accident. In the wake of Franco’s death in 1975, the Spanish monarchy was restored and Juan Carlos I quickly brought about changes to ensure representative government and modernization within Spain. Tremlett covers not only Franco’s life but the aftermath of his rule with effective, balanced coverage.

Tremlett explains complex military and political developments in Spain in the early 20th Century  to help readers understand why the political environment was such that someone like Franco was able to take control of Spain’s government. One of the book’s greatest strengths is Tremlett’s argument that Franco’s rise to power and enduring control of the Spanish government came less from his personal charisma or fervent ideology and more from patience, discipline, and an ability to outlast rivals. This interpretation challenges the idea that Franco’s rise was inevitable, emphasizing how chance events, especially the Spanish Civil War and specific events within the war itself, played a decisive role in ensuring Franco took over as Caudillo of Spain.

Overall, El Generalísimo is an engaging and insightful biography that offers a nuanced understanding of Franco and the conditions that enabled his rise, making it valuable for both students and general readers interested in Spanish history.

MY RATING: 4.5

The Winner's Curse: Behavioral Economics Anomalies, Then and Now (Richard H. Thaler and Alex O. Imas)

Richard H. Thaler and Alex O. Imas team up to update the economics book The Winner’s Curse: Behavioral Economics Anomalies, Then and Now. This book offers an engaging exploration of how real people actually make economic decisions rather than how textbooks assume they should. The book is a collection of essays and reflections that trace the rise of behavioral economics and its challenge to traditional rational models. The central idea of The Winner’s Curse shows how competitive environments can lead individuals to overpay or overcommit because of flawed judgment, optimism, and social pressure. In other words, keeping up with the Jones’s can be a helluva drag on the wallet.

The Winner’s Curse is not the lightest of reads that you can breeze through in a weekend unless you have a background in psychology, sociology, or economics. However, the authors do an effective job of making the book relatable. Concepts such as mental accounting, loss aversion, and fairness get explained through stories drawn from decades of research within the field of behavioral economics and the author’s own anecdotal everyday stories.

Another strength of the book is its narrative about the development of behavioral economics. Thaler reflects on the early skepticism he faced from mainstream economists, while Imas contributes a contemporary experimental perspective in nearly every chapter through an “Update” essay. Together, they show how behavioral ideas moved from the margins into more mainstream public policy, finance, and business strategy. 

Overall, The Winner’s Curse is thoughtful, persuasive, and informative. Those with an interest in human behavior and economics will enjoy the updated version of this book.

MY RATING: 4.5