Hi everyone,
I’m looking to curate a definitive collection of academic history manuals to cover the entire human story, from the dawn of civilization to the present day.
I’m not looking for a single like "History of the World" volume (too many generalizations) or "pop history" bestsellers. Instead I want to build a sequence of high-quality, scholarly textbooks written by different experts in their respective fields.
My main goal is continuity. I want a "manual-style" sequence where each book hands the baton to the next without leaving 50-year "black holes" or skipped centuries.
Ideally, I’m looking for recommendations to fill these slots:
Antiquity: (Near East, Greece, and the rise/fall of Rome).
The Middle Ages: (Ideally covering the transition from Late Antiquity through the Renaissance).
The Early Modern Period: (Reformation, Age of Discovery, through the Enlightenment).
The 19th Century: (The "Long 19th Century" from the French Revolution to WWI).
20th Century & Contemporary: (The World Wars, Cold War, and the path to the 2020s).
What are the absolute "gold standard" manuals currently on the market?
by Tomxz05