I would like to start reading about various countries and try to understand them in detail. I'm already an avid geopolitical observer and analyst, would like to learn more about these topics.
If these topics are covered in novels, nothing like it.
However large books will do too.
I don't mind any length as I have read books with 1000+ pages before.
If you feel that any book not covering these issues is one I should read to understand the country/ region, please give your suggestions.
Language preferred is Only English, However I do not mind reading translates copies at all.
Thank you.
by SecretTurnip_
3 Comments
A popular but somewhat controversial book on the topic is ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’ by Jared Diamond; the many works by Fernand Braudel should also be of interest. Each country has its own historians and analysts, but the US Foreign University Studies Group used to publish ‘Area Handbooks’ for State Dept., military and CIA personnel that were overviews of a country at the time of publishing.
*Born in Blood & Fire: A Concise History of Latin America* – JC Chasteen (A great overview of Latin American history from c.1500 to the present day)
The *Cambridge* *History of Scandinavia* series is great from what I’ve read
*The Birth of the Modern World, 1780 – 1914: Global Connections and Comparisons* – CA Bayly
*Remaking the Modern World 1900 – 2015: Global Connections and Comparisons* – CA Bayly – These Bayly books cover many countries
The online Encyclopedia Britannica articles of each country often have quite good detailed accounts of the country’s history.
I’ve also read many good reviews of *The Search for Modern China* by Jonathan Spence, an overview of the last several hundred years of Chinese history
Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall would be a good start