This month’s best new history

Don’t miss the best new history from the past month, hand-picked by our editors! Don’t miss this month’s history picks — which include a fascinating look at the first known serial killers in the US, a New York Times bestseller about a 19th-century shipwreck, and more!

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	Witness Putin’s rise in this real-life thriller WHY IT’S READWORTHY: When Jamison R. Firestone established Russia’s first independent foreign law firm, he gained a front-row seat to a nation’s transformation — and the ascent of an infamous leader Eye-popping stories of police corruption, Mafia attacks, commando raids, and more from an American lawyer in post-Soviet Russia “Written with all the pace and energy of a John Grisham novel… An incredible true story” (New York Times bestselling author Bill Browder) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers Gain a fresh perspective on our nation’s founding document WHY IT’S READWORTHY: A renowned historian analyzes the 27 complaints against King George that make up the bulk of the Declaration of Independence — and embody the spirit of the Founding Fathers Explores how the issues that informed colonists’ defiance, from unchecked military force to violations of civil liberties, remain relevant today “A timely and highly useful book in this semiquincentennial year — and far beyond” (Kirkus Reviews starred review) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers Amid the rising Soviet threat, Black women cryptologists worked to crack Stalin’s secrets WHY IT’S READWORTHY: If you liked Code Girls or Hidden Figures, you’ll appreciate this remarkable but little-known history Read about the Traffic Processing Division, a segregated codebreaking unit whose members endured harsh conditions and discrimination as they fought to defend the US during the Cold War “Revelatory… Unveils both the uncomfortable truths and the inspiring histories that form the foundation of our intelligence community” (New York Times bestselling author Nathalia Holt) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers We might think we’re living in unprecedented times — but history has some familiar tales to share WHY IT’S READWORTHY: “Reminds us that the United States has always been a bit unhinged — and that might be its secret strength” (Richard Bell, author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World) Learn about the contested presidential election of 1876, fake news in the yellow journalism era, and much more From the host of the popular podcast History That Doesn’t Suck, hailed as “one of the funniest historians writing today” (Tara Westover, author of Educated) Learn more... MEDIA MENTION: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers After JFK’s assassination, a group of women took the investigation into their own hands WHY IT’S READWORTHY: Maggie Field, Shirley Martin, and Sylvia Meagher dedicated their lives to challenging the Warren Report — interviewing witnesses, reviewing evidence, and chasing new leads across the country “An enthralling perspective on one of the most enduring American mysteries of all” (New York Times bestselling author Denise Kiernan) “I’m never inspired; this book inspired me. It touched my soft spot for amateur sleuths, obsessive page-turning, and the outer limits of facticity” (Harper’s Magazine) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers Uncover the centuries-long mystery of the first documented serial killers in American history WHY IT’S READWORTHY: In the late 18th century, brothers Wily and Micajah Harp left a trail of bodies across Kentucky and Tennessee — with seemingly no motive A historian offers answers to these long-forgotten crimes in “an engagingly juicy evocation of life and death in the early republic” (Kirkus Reviews) “In Cold Blood for the 1790s: a rare history that makes its times memorably vivid, and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up” (Jane Kamensky, author of A Revolution in Color) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers A historian poses a provocative question: Does patriotism clash with the nation’s founding ideals? WHY IT’S READWORTHY: “A knowledgeable history of what’s lost when willful blindness dominates our politics” (Kirkus Reviews) Argues that American exceptionalism has led to inequality, curtailed freedoms, and military aggression Draws on lessons from reformers across the centuries to put forth a new vision of liberty and justice Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers This New York Times bestseller is ‘a dark adventure that must be read to be believed’ (Booklist) WHY IT’S READWORTHY: When an American whaleship wrecked on a remote Pacific reef in 1832, its crew was plunged into a harrowing fight for survival Learn about the crew’s years in captivity in Palau — and the tense negotiations and risky naval mission that led to their rescue One of the most highly anticipated books of summer 2026, according to The New York Times and Kirkus Reviews Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers Five centuries of religion in the US, told through the extraordinary stories of everyday people WHY IT’S READWORTHY: This sweeping study provides “a full and magisterial accounting of church and state” (Booklist) Read about the dissidents who preached against Puritanism, the Mormons who built a new society in Utah, the Chinese immigrants who brought Buddhist temples to California, and more “Vital for anyone who wants to understand our present political moment, this is the history of American religion as it should be done” (New York Times bestselling author Katherine Stewart) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers Strap in for the scandalous true story of the nation’s first transcontinental auto race WHY IT’S READWORTHY: In 1909, three car companies — Acme, Ford, and Shawmut — raced from New York City to the Seattle World’s Fair. But the winner would prove a fraud… A “propulsive” tale (Kirkus Reviews starred review) of ambition, adventure, and sabotage, penned by a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter This “vivid picture of America at the dawn of the automobile age… has the feel of a travelogue tracking Lewis and Clark, updated for the machine age” (The Wall Street Journal) Learn more... MEDIA MENTIONS: GET EBOOK ON: Amazon Other formats and retailers
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