We know about the classics of fiction (Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Hemmingway, etc), but I'm curious to know if there are any authors or books that are non-fiction in nature and would be considered "classics". The big names, the influential ones, the timeless masterpieces; you know the type.
More generally, I was looking to add some non-fiction books to my 2025 readlist. So even any "non classic" but solid recommendations would be very much appreciated.
Thank you!
by nouveaux_sands_13
8 Comments
Anything by Rose George, Judy Melinek, Caitlin Doughty, or Mary Roach. All will pique your curiosity.
In Cold Blood
The story of Civilization series by Will Durant. They are all incredible. They go so deep into the culture as well as politics. Greece, Rome, and the Napoleonic era are my favorites. But they all are worth it. You feel like you are there.
In Cold Blood was published in the 60s and is a very well known and well regarded non-fiction true crime book
I read a lot of biography and history, and for me the classics are any books written by David McCullough and Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Also, a good non-fiction is Lady of the Army: The Life of Mrs. George S. Patton.
“A masterpiece of seminal research, Lady of the Army is an extraordinary, detailed, and unique biography of a remarkable woman married to a now legendary American military leader in both World War I and World War II.”
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Classic environmental book.
Check out David McCullough, for example, “the path between the seas”. Also “salt, a world history” by Mark Kurlansky