Best literary histories? (American and English literature, especially)

I want to read some works of literary history in order to better contextualize the literature I read, but I wasn't an english major so I'm not sure where to start when it comes to literary history books/textbooks.

Curious to know what books people have read/recommend. The only ones I've heard of (American-specific) are the Cambridge History of American Literature (ed. Bercovitch) and Richard Gray's A History of American Literature. I don't actually know anything about Gray's book, and the Cambridge history is a bit daunting given its several volumes and many authors.

Any thoughts on good literary histories (American/English or otherwise) are greatly appreciated!