Literary Hub » History

Five Essential Books for Understanding North Korea’s Cult of Personality

Five Essential Books for Understanding North Korea’s Cult of Personality

Cundill History Prize Finalist Jonathan Cheng Recommends Barbara Demick, Richard E. Kim, and More

By Jonathan Cheng | October 15, 2026

Meet Biddy Mason, the Black Matriarch Who Helped Build Los Angeles

Meet Biddy Mason, the Black Matriarch Who Helped Build Los Angeles

Kevin Waite on the Multifaceted Life of the Formerly Enslaved Woman Who Made California Home

By Kevin Waite | October 15, 2026

What Lies Behind a Blank Wall? On the Myriad Hidden Meanings of White Paint

What Lies Behind a Blank Wall? On the Myriad Hidden Meanings of White Paint

Wendy S. Walters Explores the Aesthetic Origins and Political Implications of a Commonplace Decorative Practice

By Wendy S. Walters | October 14, 2026

On Medieval Europe’s Systemic Slaughter of Nonconformist Women

On Medieval Europe’s Systemic Slaughter of Nonconformist Women

Eleanor Johnson Explores the Dehumanizing Myths and Justifications Behind Witch Hunts

By Eleanor Johnson | October 14, 2026

How Newspapers Helped Democratize Knowledge and Civic Participation

How Newspapers Helped Democratize Knowledge and Civic Participation

James Marriott on the Relationship Between Free Societies and a Literate Populace

By James Marriott | October 14, 2026

A Reckoning With Civilization Itself: How the Genocide in Gaza Reshaped the Middle East

A Reckoning With Civilization Itself: How the Genocide in Gaza Reshaped the Middle East

Marwan Bishara Considers the Impact of Israel’s War on the Broader Region

By Marwan Bishara | October 13, 2026

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

March 5, 1933: The Election That Destroyed German Democracy

By Timothy Ryback | October 9, 2026

How an Army Librarian Brought the Joy of Reading to the Front Lines

By Molly Guptill Manning | October 8, 2026

What Brazil’s Political Convulsions Reveal About the Global Far-Right

By Rodrigo Nunes | October 7, 2026

A Brief History of Iconic Women Spies in the Comics

A Brief History of Iconic Women Spies in the Comics

Susan Kirtley and Nhora Lucia Serrano on Comic Book Hero Señorita Rio

By Susan E. Kirtley and Nhora Lucía Serrano | October 7, 2026

What Would Mr. Darcy Earn Today? And Other Jane Austen-Related Money Matters

What Would Mr. Darcy Earn Today? And Other Jane Austen-Related Money Matters

Inger Sigrun Bredkjær Brodey on the Value of Pounds, Crowns, Shillings and Pence in Today’s World

By Inger Sigrun Bredkjær Brodey | October 6, 2026

What to read after you see the Bayeux Tapestry.

What to read after you see the Bayeux Tapestry.

By James Folta | October 5, 2026

How the American Media Manipulated the Public to Support War in Iraq

How the American Media Manipulated the Public to Support War in Iraq

Assal Rad on the Parallels Between Journalists’ Treatment of the Invasion of Iraq and the Genocide in Gaza

By Assal Rad | October 2, 2026

What Happens When Humans Show Up: On the Ecosystem Beneath Our Feet

What Happens When Humans Show Up: On the Ecosystem Beneath Our Feet

Frank Ashwood Considers the Earth’s Earliest Soil, the First Mass Extinction Event, and the Impact of People

By Frank Ashwood | October 2, 2026

Five Essential Books on Women in the Early Civil Rights Movement

Five Essential Books on Women in the Early Civil Rights Movement

Keri Leigh Merritt Recommends Patricia Bell-Scott, Jacqueline Dowd Hall, John Egerton and More

By Keri Leigh Merritt | October 2, 2026

Beyond MLK: On the Women Who Made the March on Washington

Beyond MLK: On the Women Who Made the March on Washington

Marcia Chatelain Considers the Overlooked Yet Vital Role of Black Women in the Struggle For Racial Equality

By Marcia Chatelain | October 1, 2026

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