Reading Club

I assume you're here at this website because you like my books. Good. And that also means you might like the books I enjoy reading, and that all of us might enjoy the books that you read, so this is simply a place where we can exchange news of books - any books - not just historical novels. Tell us if you've read something wonderful and entertaining, and we'll post your recommendations and reviews here. And, please, let us know what you think of these recommendations!

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THE ARMIES OF WELLINGTON

Written by: Philip J. Haythornthwaite

Published by: Cassell Military

Submitted By: Martin Leibowitz

This book provides wonderful insight into the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.

THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD

Written by: Richard Rutherford-Moore

Published by: Capall Bann 1998

Submitted By: david underhill

Perhaps the most enlightened historian I have ever known, a book, as the title suggests, on the facts of Robin Hood. Written from a non-academic viewpoint this book is a delightfully easy read crammed with enlightening information scrutinised beyond belief…

CATHEDRAL

Written by: David Macaulay

Published by: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Submitted By: Steven Smith

Although it is intended for children, this book, in a series by David Macaulay, gives a really fun way to look at history through illustration. I really enjoy the feel of this book and the detail of the pictures. It…

The Masters of Rome Series

Written by: Colleen McCullough

Published by: Morrow,William & Co

Submitted By: Michael Wolf

These books are fiction novels spanning from the turbulent years of Marius and Sulla through the rise of Julius Caesar. It offers a unique perspective into the life and times of the Dictator.

SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT

Written by: Brian Stone

Published by: Viking Press

Submitted By: Matt

A good yarn written in the medievil days by an unknown author, it is about one of Arthur’s knights, Gawain, and an adventure he had that ended with a fight with the Green Knight.

TRAFALGAR: THE NELSON TOUCH

Written by: David Howarth

Published by: Antheneum

Submitted By: Matt

a good history of the battle described in “Sharpe’s Trafalgar”. Howarth also wrote a book on Waterloo, but I never read it.

JEFFERSON

Written by: Max Byrd

Published by: Bantam Books

Submitted By: Matt

One of my favorite books (besides the Sharpe series), “Jefferson” tells they story of Thomas Jefferson after the Revolution, in the 1780’s. The setting is France, just before the French Revolution. The book is written through the eyes of a…

NAPOLEON'S RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN

Written by: Philippe-Paul de Segur

Published by: The Riverside Press

Submitted By: Matt

A good account of the disastrous Russian Campaign, which set the stage for Napoleon’s ultimate defeat. Written by the Comte de Segur, Napoleon’s Aide-de-Camp.May be hard to find in UK; it was published by a local publisher in Cambridge, Mass.

THE BONE PEDLAR

Written by: Sylvian Hamilton

Published by: Orion 2000

Submitted By: michael pullin

Witty to the very edge of “pythonesque”, the bone pedlar is the story of Sir Richard Straccan and his motley crew of medieval “relic hunters”. It features Witchcraft, lunatics, whores and a feast of naughty people. It is the first…

THE SPARROW

Written by: Mary Doria Russell

Published by: Black Swan

Submitted By: Barry Cunningham

I came across this book by chance and I was so glad I did. Few books have gripped me so well so early. Science Fiction? Fantasy? Some might pigeon hole it. It is an amazing adventure with a wonderful cast….