First published in 1917, “This Country of Ours” is an engaging and accessible introduction to American history by H. E. Marshall, the celebrated English writer noted for her numerous popular works of history for children. Having written detailed histories of many countries other than America including the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Canada, Scotland, Germany, and France, her books were well-loved for their expansive histories that were pre ...
Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall’s “Our Island Story” is a history of England up to Queen Victoria’s death, with some myths and legends mixed in. Marshall’s work, which is aimed at a younger audience, was very popular when first published and is credited by historians as an inspiration. Beginning with the legends of Albion and Brutus “Our Island Story” chronicles numerous important English legends, kings, and queens, including King Arthur, Alfred th ...
Consider by scholars as the single most influential book in naval strategy, Alfred Thayer Mahan’s “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History (1660-1783)”, is a history of naval warfare and sea power during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that would have a profound influence on the world in the early part of the twentieth century. Mahan published “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History (1660-1783)” while he was President of the US Naval W ...
First published in 1837, Carlyle initially was asked to write this account by his overworked friend John Stuart Mill. Taking the commission to heart, Carlyle proceeded to write a historical masterpiece, combining a scrupulous consideration for facts with a unique style of writing. Rather than a detached account of this turbulent time, Carlyle uses poetic prose that makes readers feel almost as though they are participants in the riots, public ex ...
Considered by many to be the most important work on Alexander the Great, Arrian’s “The Campaigns of Alexander” or “The Anabasis of Alexander” is an accurate and thorough account of the Macedonian conqueror’s military exploits. Arrian of Nicomedia was a Roman historian, public figure, military commander, and well-acclaimed philosopher of the 2nd century. As a youth, he studied under Epictetus, and later strove in his literary works to emulate the ...
Written in 75 AD by the Jewish historian and Roman citizen Titus Flavius Josephus, “The Wars of the Jews”, describes Jewish history from the capture of Jerusalem in 164 BC. to the destruction of the city in 70 AD. Josephus, born in Jerusalem in 37 AD with the name Yosef ben Matityahu, was from a Jewish family with a father of a priestly heritage and a mother who claimed to have royal blood. Josephus fought against the Romans in the First Jewish- ...
“Chronicles of the Crusades” is composed of two individual narratives by soldiers who participated first-hand in the violent two hundred year struggle for possession of the holy land. The first is “Conquest of Constantinople” by Geffroy de Villehardouin which describes the controversial Fourth Crusade of 1204. Villehardouin, who was appointed marshal of Champagne, France, and Romania, recounts the brutal fight for control of Constantinople betwe ...
“The Agricola” and “The Germania” are two important historical works by Cornelius Tacitus, an ancient Roman Senator and historian who lived from 56 AD to 120 AD. Tacitus lived in what historians call the Silver Age of Latin literature and his contributions to the histories of these tumultuous times are considered significant and illuminating. “The Agricola” is a biography of the Roman general Gnaeus Julius Agricola, who was Tacitus’s father-in-l ...
Procopius, from Palaestina Prima, or modern day Israel, is an important first hand source for the history of the 6th century, especially concerning the Emperor Justinian. Procopius was an incredibly learned man, having received a classical education, possibly from the famed School of Gaza. He would become a legal adviser for Belisarius, Justinian’s chief military commander and accompany him to the war front, an experience he would document in hi ...
