Monday, September 28, 2026

This month’s best new history

 
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This Month’s Best New History
 
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Book cover for The Age of Cures by Barry Werth
Learn how the pharmaceutical industry was born — and how it has saved billions of lives
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Thanks to technological development, World War II–era financing, and a commitment to scientific advancement, the mid–20th century marked the beginning of a new era in medicine
  • Introduces the chemists, biologists, and engineers behind medical triumphs like antibiotics, vaccines, vitamins, and chemotherapy
  • “A captivating, up-close account of the committed individuals behind the industrial methods that modernized health care” (Publishers Weekly starred review)
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Age of Cures by Barry Werth MEDIA MENTIONS: The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly
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Book cover for Shadow Before the Flame by Catherine Grace Katz
Revisit the infamous Hindenburg disaster of 1937 — and what it meant for a world between wars
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • “An absorbing tale of ambition, technology, culture, and geopolitics” (Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham)
  • Learn how the ill-fated German zeppelin was a symbol of hope, became a Nazi propaganda tool, transformed the media, and more
  • This “remarkable achievement” has “the readability of a thriller, but also the factual background of a profoundly researched history book” (Andrew Roberts)
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Media mentions for Shadow Before the Flame by Catherine Grace Katz MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings by Jared Diamond
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel is back
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • How can one person’s actions alter the course of history? This provocative read looks at leadership across centuries, continents, and disciplines
  • “As with all Diamond’s books, you’ll never see the world in the same way again” (Nobel laureate James A. Robinson)
  • With fascinating analysis of figures such as Adolf Hitler, Margaret Thatcher, Genghis Khan, and many more
Learn more...
Media mentions for Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings by Jared Diamond MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Next Big Idea Club, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews
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Book cover for The Distance Between Our Names by Paul Richter
‘A lucid exposé of a shameful episode in US history that reverberates today’ (Kirkus Reviews)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Shines a light on the discrimination and hardships faced by Japanese immigrants to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
  • Examines how mob violence, property destruction, and exclusionary laws laid the groundwork for Japanese incarceration during World War II
  • A veteran journalist weaves together research from memoirs, public records, news reports, and oral histories
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Media mentions for The Distance Between Our Names by Paul Richter MEDIA MENTION: Kirkus Reviews
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Book cover for Berlin Before and After by Wendy Lesser
A stunning portrait of a city marked by its own dark history
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Nearly a century after Hitler’s rise to power, the scars of dictatorship, destruction, division, and reunification are visible throughout Berlin
  • This “delightfully original” read (Brenda Wineapple, author of Keeping the Faith) combines travelogue, cultural history, and personal reflections
  • “Would be necessary reading at any moment, but today, with repressive authoritarian regimes on the march and open societies under threat, it is urgent” (New York Times bestselling author Eric Klinenberg)
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Media mentions for Berlin Before and After by Wendy Lesser MEDIA MENTIONS: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews
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Book cover for Early Man Was a Woman by Ulli Lust
‘Envisions the dawn of humanity through a fresh lens’ (Kirkus Reviews)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Frequently ignored by scholars, women take center stage in this award-winning reexamination of our prehistoric ancestors
  • Filled with stunning illustrations that “vividly evoke… the Paleolithic world” (Publishers Weekly starred review)
  • “An intellectually rigorous, timely, and provocative meditation on the ways in which cultural narratives shape knowledge” (Library Journal starred review)
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Media mentions for Early Man Was a Woman by Ulli Lust MEDIA MENTIONS: Science, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal
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Book cover for The Elections That Changed the World by Dana Bash and David Fisher
From ancient Rome to the modern day, these are the 15 elections that changed everything
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Learn about Julius Caesar’s fateful election to the praetorship, the informal church meeting that made Martin Luther King Jr. the leader of the Montgomery bus boycott, and more
  • Cowritten by CNN’s chief political correspondent and a New York Times bestselling author
  • Discover how our present election systems came to be and why your vote matters
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Elections That Changed the World by Dana Bash and David Fisher MEDIA MENTIONS: Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Ortiz’s War by Nicholas Reynolds and Katie S. Sanders
The untold story of the most battle-decorated member of the United States’ first spy agency
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • “Reads like a Bond novel… A page-turner and an essential, long-overdue tribute to a true legend” (USA Today bestselling author Patrick K. O’Donnell)
  • Recruited by the Office of Strategic Services, Peter J. Ortiz parachuted into France to gather critical intelligence and sabotage Nazi infrastructure
  • A captivating biography of a little-known saboteur, whose missions remained classified long after World War II
Learn more...
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Book cover for Blood Dawn by Hans van de Ven
Explore how World War II transformed Asia in this sweeping political history
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • In the face of Japanese aggression and European imperialism, anti-colonial activists from India to Indonesia mobilized to fight for independence
  • “Essential reading for understanding Asia’s present” (New York Times bestselling author Richard Overy), penned by an award-winning scholar
  • “Written with an impressive clarity of thought and prose, this is the history we so badly needed to balance the West’s version of the Second World War” (New York Times bestselling author Antony Beevor)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Blood Dawn by Hans van de Ven MEDIA MENTIONS: The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times
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Book cover for When America Roared by Jonathan Kaufman
To truly understand our world today, look back to the 1980s
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • “This is an essential read: beautifully written, smartly argued, and thoroughly balanced” (Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jonathan Eig)
  • A Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter examines key events that set the stage for the 21st century — including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of Reaganism, and television deregulation
  • “A sobering, refreshing, and well-crafted analysis about how we ended up where we are, whether we like it or not” (New York Times bestselling author William D. Cohan)
Learn more...
Media mentions for When America Roared by Jonathan Kaufman MEDIA MENTIONS: Time Magazine, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, Bloomberg Businessweek, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
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Your ebook bargains for Monday

 
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Your Ebook Deals
 
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The Glass Lake
The Glass Lake
By Maeve Binchy
This “remarkably moving” New York Times bestseller “may be [Binchy’s] most compelling novel” (Booklist)! In an Irish village, Kit’s life changes when her mother vanishes. Years later, she starts corresponding with a mysterious woman who’s connected to her past… “You won’t be able to put the novel down” (Cosmopolitan).
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Twisted Twenty-Six
Twisted Twenty-Six
By Janet Evanovich
An irresistible #1 New York Times bestseller: When her beloved grandmother’s new husband drops dead less than an hour after their wedding, Stephanie Plum is thrown into a dangerous race to save her family. “The Evanovich/Plum books [are] good fun” (The Washington Post).
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In Plain Sight
In Plain Sight
By C. J. Box
From a New York Times bestselling author: Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett finds himself drawn into a bitter missing person case while a dangerous figure from his own past approaches, intent on revenge. “Excellent… Box puts on a hell of a show” (Booklist starred review).
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An Inconvenient Woman
An Inconvenient Woman
By Dominick Dunne
A New York Times bestseller: Jules Mendelson has it all — but when he falls for waitress Flo March, his well-ordered life starts to crumble as long-buried secrets rise to the surface. “The best chronicler of American society since Truman Capote” (Vanity Fair) delivers “his best novel” (The New York Times Book Review).
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The Sweet Taste of Muscadines
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines
By Pamela Terry
“A deeply moving work of Southern fiction that will appeal to fans of Where the Crawdads Sing… A story to remember” (Susan Wiggs): Returning to her tiny hometown after her domineering mother’s unexpected death, Lila Bruce Breedlove unravels long-held family secrets. “I inhaled this book” (Debbie Macomber).
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In Stormy Weather
In Stormy Weather
By Chelsea Curto
“An emotional lightning strike of a book… Utterly unputdownable” (Rachel Lynn Solomon): While chasing storms during a historic hurricane season in Florida, meteorologist Quincy collides in more ways than one with Sebastian, her best friend’s irritatingly handsome brother. An instant New York Times bestseller with over 10,000 five-star ratings on Goodreads!
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Vacation Wars
Vacation Wars
By Meghan Quinn
From a New York Times bestselling author: As Tessa’s family relaxes in Santorini before her sister’s wedding, the bride-to-be makes it her mission to find a soulmate for Tessa — and only Myles, Tessa’s childhood crush, can provide an escape from the antics… “A funny, sexy tale with a quirky protagonist” (Library Journal).
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House of Stolen Time
House of Stolen Time
By Jason Fischer
Stephen King meets Blake Crouch in this inventive horror tale! When college student Barbara inherits an isolated mansion in the woods, she ventures inside — and falls victim to its terrifying secret. Time stands still in Blake Manor, but something lurks in its depths, waiting to escape the loop…
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Chesapeake
Chesapeake
By James A. Michener
A “magnificently written” #1 New York Times bestseller (Associated Press) from a Pulitzer Prize–winning author: In the 17th century, Edmund travels to North America — and begins a remarkable journey that will touch generations. “Michener’s most ambitious work of fiction in theme and scope” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
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The Library at Mount Char
The Library at Mount Char
By Scott Hawkins
Carolyn and her adopted siblings suspect their cruel father holds a tremendous secret — and when he disappears, his impossible library must be protected. “A wholly original, engrossing, disturbing, and beautiful book” (Kirkus Reviews starred review) with over 34,000 five-star Goodreads ratings.
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Unnatural History
Unnatural History
By Jonathan Kellerman
An electrifying New York Times bestseller! When a controversial artist is found shot to death in bed, Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware discover that violence runs in the victim’s billionaire family… “This long-running series is still going strong” (Publishers Weekly).
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Pines
Pines
By Blake Crouch
From the author of Dark Matter comes the first book in a hit trilogy! Soon after Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives in a small Idaho town to locate two missing federal agents, he’s involved in a car accident — only to wake in a world he doesn’t recognize.
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What You Have Heard Is True
What You Have Heard Is True
By Carolyn Forché
An “astonishing, powerful” National Book Award finalist (Margaret Atwood): When a stranger arrived on her doorstep one morning, Carolyn Forché embarked on a harrowing journey through a country on the brink of war. “Reading it will change you, perhaps forever” (San Francisco Chronicle).
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This month’s best new history

Don’t miss the best new history from the past month, hand-picked by our editors! We’ve rounded up this month’s biggest and buzziest history ...