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The best History Books I read earning my M.A. in History
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Rebecca Mehalic profile picture
Rebecca Mehalic
I've read well over 100 books while earning my M.A. in History. Some were amazing, some okay, and others I quickly sold after the class ended. Out of all the books I read, these were the best of the best that were not only well-written but challenged me to think outside the box. My coursework focused primarily on American and Japanese history, with some European history thrown in here and there.
Sections
6
 
8
American History
 
5
Japanese History
 
3
European History
 
3
Social History
 
3
Historiography

American History

8

Books that focus on an aspect of American history---from the founding fathers to the West, World War II and beyond.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Japanese History

5

I've always loved Japanese history and its is easily my “area” of history (alongside social history). As a grad student, I was able to take a deeper dive into it through coursework and research projects.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

European History

3

I've taken a few courses on European history and here are the best books that I read from those classes.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Social History

3

These are books that focus more on a social aspect with history incorporated

 
 
 
 
 
 

Historiography

3

Historiography is literally the study of the methods used by historians to develop history as an academic discipline. It also pertains to any research or historical thought on a particular aspect of history. It's also one of the reasons I love history so much--its not about facts, but history makes you think outside the box and proves nothing is black and white when it comes to history.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Environmental History

2

Environmental history is a newer branch within history and focuses on, as the name implies, the history of the environment. This list features several of the best ones I've read.