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We regularly review history books as well as historical fiction. We are always looking for review submissions and also maintain a list of books available for review.

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Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by James Dittes

Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires

The Silk Road may have carried the world’s most luxurious fabrics for trade, but it was paved with horses’ hooves. From the Bronze Age to the 20th century, the empires of China, Persia, India, and Mongolia conquered astride the backs of horses...
Humsafar: The World of Urdu Poetry
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Ankita G

Humsafar: The World of Urdu Poetry

“Humsafar” is an Urdu word which means "companion." True to its name, this book acts as a friend to guide the audience through the complex world of Urdu poetry. Hitesh Gupta Aadil is an Urdu language and literature enthusiast and translator...
The Lost Queen: The Surprising Life of Catherine of Braganza―the Forgotten Queen Who Bridged Two Worlds
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Reisa Rogovein

The Lost Queen: The Surprising Life of Catherine of Braganza―the Forgotten Queen Who Bridged Two Worlds

British author, Sophie Shorland, a former Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, takes a very friendly approach to describe the difficult life of King Charles II's Queen Consort, the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza. Shorland's audience...
Southern Europe in the Age of Revolutions
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Evan Rothera

Southern Europe in the Age of Revolutions

From the outbreak of war in the 13 British North American colonies in 1775 to the conflicts that erupted throughout the Spanish New World colonies in the 1810s, revolutions convulsed the Atlantic World for half a century. The power and consequences...
The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Roberto Carrodeguas

The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World

In The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, Virginia Postrel expertly demonstrates how the history of textiles is the story of human progress. Although textiles have shaped society in many ways, their central role in the development...
Embodied Histories: New Womanhood in Vienna, 1894–1934
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Kimberly Anne

Embodied Histories: New Womanhood in Vienna, 1894–1934

When first picking up this book, the reader might not expect to stumble upon police reports regarding wrongful arrests of Viennese women at the turn of the century. As a contemporary reader, what is provided on the pages of Katya Motyl’s...
Trafficking with Demons: Magic, Ritual, and Gender from Late Antiquity to 1000
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Alex Hagler

Trafficking with Demons: Magic, Ritual, and Gender from Late Antiquity to 1000

Martha Rampton’s two primary goals with this book were to define in specific terms what “magic” meant and to examine how that meaning changed over time. She divides the book into four parts, with the last three focusing on specific time periods...
Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Kelly Macquire

Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean

Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean is Katherine Pangonis’s second book, with her first being Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule (2021). Twilight Cities is dedicated to the history of five prominent and "lost"...
Alexandria: The City that Changed the World
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Arienne King

Alexandria: The City that Changed the World

The book begins with Alexandria's founding by Alexander the Great after he conquered the Persian Empire. Like its legendary namesake, the city was destined for fame. Its strategic and symbolic value made it a coveted prize of world conquerors...
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Taylor Shaye Roche

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper takes a refreshing approach by focusing on the lives of the women believed to be victims of the notorious killer rather than simply on their deaths. Unlike typical ripperology...
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