Lessons of History

American Creation by Joseph J. Ellis

Joseph J. Ellis, author of Founding Brothers, gives us another outstanding collection of stories from the early years of America in American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic. Through six episodes running from the Declaration of Independence to the Louisiana purchase Ellis examines the decisions of the founders as the grapple with slavery, native Americans and the expansion of the country. A brilliant narrative historian, this book will continually challenge your thinking about the origins of our country. $26.95

A Magnificent Catastrophe by Edward J. Larson

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward J. Larson’s A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America’s First Presidentail Campaign presents a masterful and revelatory account of the titanic election battle that had been so momentous to the country's future that Thomas Jefferson had called it America’s second revolution. The birth of the two party system and the forerunners of modern campaigns are just two of the innovations of that election. Compelling reading on the eve of the 2008 election. $27

The War: An Intimate History 1941-1945

If you’ve watched the Ken Burns documentary then you already know the power of the individual stories portrayed in The War: An Intimate History 1941-1945 by Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward. The book uses much of the material from the TV program but expands it with much fuller stories, illustrations, maps and more. A thoroughly compelling view of this historic event from the ground up. $50

The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam

David Halberstam’s The Coldest Winter is the culmination of a 45 year career in journalism and he takes on the Korean War in this volume that is at the peak of Halberstam’s talents. A masterful narrative the effortlessly combines the strategic view with the individual stories of soldiers in the front lines. The Korean War is the most neglected of America’s major conflicts and The Coldest Winter provides a welcome, and compelling, antidote. $35

Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s life is brilliantly brought to life in Michael Korda’s Ike: An American Hero. Fittingly, he begins the story on D-Day, Ike’s greatest gamble and greatest triumph, and then moves both backward and forward to cover his early life, military career and his presidency. Full of fascinating detail about he life of an American that perhaps you thought you knew well. $34.95

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Erik Larson, the author of Devil in the White City, takes on the intersection of history and crime once again in the compelling Thunderstruck. His unlikely protagonists are Harvey Crippen, the infamous poisoner, and Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the wireless telegraph. Alternating chapters move the story forward as Marconi struggles with the immense challenges of turning wireless induction into a workable telegraph while Crippen’s more mundane life leads him to the murder of his wife. Their lives intersect when Crippen’s flight from justice is cut short by the miracle of the wireless—the first criminal to be captured in this way. $25.95