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Some parts are run on a bit but it is a definite masterpiece. Grab a highlighter- lots of quotable truths in that one people would do well to recognize.

I set about to read every classic I ever heard about after finishing high school and keep looking for some more modern ones to compare. War and Peace is one of my fav's. Read most of Dickens and love his ability to paint a scene.

For an historical vent Erik Larson is very well liked. I have read three of his including "In The Garden of the Beast" that is a good reminder of what the Nazi rise to power was like and how it was thought of by locals at the time.

I think his best one is called "Dead Wake" which tell the story of the Lusitania. Extremely detailed in all parts including the operations of a German submarine. Suspenseful.

He wrote another called The Devil in the White City which intertwines the monumental task of building the Chicago World's fair ( may sound boring but isn't ) with the absolute stalking and businesslike dealings of America's first modern serial killer H.H > Holmes and chronicles the outstanding detective work perseverance and pursuit of him.

You have likely already some Shaara works- "The Killer Angesl" and others that are routinely mentioned around here. Those are great but if you have not read any Allen Eckert- I cannot recommend "That Dark and Bloody River" enough. It is about the Ohio River Valley at turn of 19th century and gets intimate. Outstanding read.

For a look at way back, " I Claudius" by Robert Graves ( one of my top favorite authors - as is Somerset Maugham) - gives a personalized insight into ancient Rome and all of its power grabbing intrigues.

One thing that stands out about most classics is how much better dialogue is compared to many modern authors. Hard for me to like some popular modern guys.

To get off historically themed novels since you seemed open I can offer a few off the walls:

• Sheridan La Fanu- Uncle Silas- not many may have heard of him but he set the stage for Bram Stoker and Wilkie Collins. Uncle Silas is a fantastic ...hate to call it horror - but non-stop suspense
• Bram Stoker- Dracula - I know ...may be an odd suggestion but it is a page turner and likely a different tone than you might think. Very well written and engrossing.
• James Herriot - All Creatures Great and Small- ok going full reverse this is a lovely read that makes you feel good and longing for a simpler time.
• The Razors Edge- Somerset Maugham - top three book for me. About an aristocrat who loses his best friend at the end of WW1 and searches for meaning against a backdrop of spoiled upper crusts. Endearing. The 1940's movie with Tyrone Powers does a marvelous job of recreating. The later one with R. Williams is not worthy of mention. He also wrote a "The Painted Veil" which was made twice including one with Betty Davis and another with Edward Norton- both do a swell job keep the feel..

Anyway - just throwing randoms out there. Feel free to PM .

Mine, he said with no modesty whatsoever. LINK

As others have said, anything by David McCullough is good. I particularly liked Jon Adams, but every book of his I have read is worth the time. I also liked the Rick Atkinson trilogy on WW2. Not yet mentioned, would be Carlo D'Este. He wrote excellent biographies of Patton, Ike and Churchill.

Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766

Fred Anderson is the author.

One of my all time favorites!

kenjs1/Westman, I'm about halfway through Atlas Shrugged and finding it almost tediously well written and profound. The Fountainhead is on deck.

As to the highlighter, I have that and a pen on my nightstand that get used when I go back to "meditations" which lives on my nightstand.

Just getting into this one myself.

"River of Doubt" is a good one about Teddy Roosevelt.

Try The Splendid and The Vile by Eric Larsen.
It is the story of Churchill’s first year as Prime Minister .

Y'all are fantastic. My Amazon cart overfloweth!

I've read the following in the past year and highly recommend!

These three by Candice Millard:

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

This Trilogy was excellent!

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa (1942-1943): The Liberation Trilogy, Volume 1
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (The Liberation Trilogy, 2
The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945

These by Erik Larson

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

Man, it’d take me 4 or 5 post to cover the books I’d recommend!
French & Indian War, “A Few Acres Of Snow”, Robert Leckie, and “Crucible Of War”, already mentioned.
Revolution, McCallaughs bio of John Adams is tough to beat. I believe that will fulfill what you seek for politics at that period.
The Texas Revolution, “The Blood Of Heroes” And “Texas Iliad”. I’ve sorta got fascinated with this myself.
Mexican War, “ The Army of Manifest Destiny”.
Don’t leave out Shelby Foote’s Trilogy about the Civil War. I bet I’ve read all 3 four or 5 times over. And Bruce Catton’s “Army Of The Potomac” Trilogy as well.
I got sucked into the Plains Indain wars, especially Custer and the LBH. Donafans “Terrible Glory” and Philbrick’s “The Last Stand”. Both are great.
WW2, The Trilogy by Rick Atckinson about the Army in Europe is great. For the Pacific, Eon Tolls 3 books can’t be beat. This oughta keep yo busy, but I love American History. There’s probably another dozen I can recommend.
7mm

Shoot, I forgot Stephen Ambrose, “D-Day” and “Citizen Soldiers”. I got them for Dad. He was a vet of the 2nd Armored Division in WW2. I came to love both, and gained a whole new respect for The Greatest Generation.

7mm

Alexander Hamilton by J.C. Miller

The Bully Pulpit by D.K. Goodwin

War In A Time of Peace by D. Halberstram

The Singapore Story memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew. The creation of a successful post war state by its' architect and leader.


mike r

Anything by David McCullough has been good but I particularly liked John Adams.

‘Isaac’s Storm’ by Erik Larson.

As originally mentioned by 19352012, I first read James Willard Schultz as a boy and still enjoy reading and re reading his books now. He instilled in me a lust for the early west that has never diminished. Similarly, books by Joseph Alexander Altsheler while written for "boys" are still fun to read. His Young Trailer Series about the colonization of the Ohio Valley and Kentucky are pure escapism, but suggest what living in the Dark and Bloody Ground could have been like.

Damn, I put my glasses on and saw a "k" instead of "b".

The Road to Serfdom...by Hayak. The forgotten Man... Amity Shlaes. Free to Choose...Milton Friedman

Amity Shlaes’ Coolidge bio is excellent

Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City is awesome

Whittaker Chambers’ Witness is a MUST READ for anyone who cares about Cold War history & its relation to our current crisis.

"The pale Usher—threadbare in coat, heart, body, and brain; I see him now."

Oh you thought it was,

"Call me Ishmael."